Before Jewel met Blu
by Sorrelwing
Summary: (This story will be rewritten at some point) As a young chick, Jewel accidentally sparks a war between her tribe and the Reds' via the latter's manipulative leader twisting the truth. But as the two tribes face off in a dramatic rivalry, one night is set to change the lives of the tribes - and Jewel - forever, carving emotional scarring along the way and tearing Jewel's life apart.
1. Hatchling

The Amazon River reflected the liquid amber sky perfectly, mirroring the colour as it faded from amber to pale pink and gold as the sun dipped behind the trees. A flock of toucans, their beaks bright in the subduing day, chattered to one another as they flew above the trees.

A small stream broke away from the main river, snaking its way into the trees. In these trees, there was a hidden place - a waterfall, concealed within the clay licks on the surrounding cliffs. Humans hadn't been here for years; it was marked on maps, but no one had come here in a few decades. The trees were too thick, too wild, but for a rare species, the perfect hiding place. Giant Amazon water lilies scattered over the waterfall's plunge pool, where a group of young birds were playing. One - a very handsome one, with a cluster of silky crest feathers falling over the sides of his head - flew confidently, before throwing himself onto a water lily, skiing across the clear water. He had just recently learnt to fly, and was enjoying his newly learnt flight.

"Go Roberto!" yelled another male, named Carlos, who was a little lighter in colouration. "Seriously man, you're a natural at this!" as the group of young birds continued to water-ski, macaws of the same species were flying, dotted in the surrounding trees, or perched in the clay licks. Life was good, and meanwhile, a little miracle was happening in a Caraibeira tree on the other side of the plunge pool.

In one of its many hollows, three Spix's macaws stood over a nest, which was full of downy feathers and moss. One, named Mimi, was short and plump, with a cluster of curly feathers on her head. Eduardo, the male and leader of the tribe, had flattened feathers on his head, and under his wing, was his mate, Tia. Tia was beautiful, with silky, dark blue feathers and turquoise eyes that shone as she looked into the nest.

A small, white orb rocked in the downy feathers, cracks appearing over its smooth surface. Mimi, Eduardo's older sister and the Spix's macaw tribe's self-appointed advisor, was hopping up and down with excitement. Eduardo and Tia, the parents of the hatching chick, were looking in the nest with similar excitement in their pale green and turquoise eyes. There was a crack, and all three macaws held their breath as the first piece of eggshell fell away. Then, as this tiny piece fell away, the rest of the eggshell shattered into pieces. The chick fell onto the moss of the nest, and looked up with its blue eyes. Mimi squealed with excitement, bouncing up and down.

"It's a girl!" she cooed, her heart melting as she looked at her new niece. "I'll tell the tribe the happy news!" as Mimi darted outside, yelling at the top of her voice, Tia reached into the nest, scooping up the hatchling and holding her close. Eduardo smiled, rare for a bird of his attitude and personality.

"Call her whatever you want, Tia." He murmured. "The choice is yours." Tia smiled in gratitude at Eduardo, before looking back at their chick. The chick was indeed a female, as Mimi had very loudly announced, and she had beautiful turquoise eyes - like Tia's. The hatchling yawned, and squeaked, kicking her tiny talons. Tia knew exactly what to name her.

"Jewel." Tia crooned in her gentle voice. "My little Jewel. I've always loved that name." there was loud cheering outside as the entire tribe learned of the news, and the cheering became even louder as Eduardo announced the hatchling's name. Tia smiled down at Jewel, who continued to squeak happily. Outside, Roberto and his friends shot into the air. "I think it's time for a 'Beautiful Creatures!'" cried Roberto, his wings thrown out. "To celebrate the little one! C'mon, let's go! Woo-hoo!" as the tribe gathered to dance together, celebrating the new arrival, Tia stayed with Jewel as Eduardo and Mimi flew to celebrate with their fellow tribe mates. She was content with staying here, to spend precious time with her new daughter.

Tia settled in the nest, with Jewel tucked beneath her wing. Jewel nestled into Tia's soft feathers, and Tia felt a tear of joy fall down one of her cheeks. She couldn't believe that she had once been hesitant about having children. She had always wondered whether she would be capable of being a mother - Tia had never really had a maternal bone in her body. When she was young, she had babysat some kids of her neighbours, but she had never been much good at it.

Eduardo had reasoned with her, telling her that she would feel different when 'the child was theirs', but she had still been reluctant until now. Mimi had promised to help out, and the generous Roberto, young as he was, had also offered babysitting for them. Despite him not being born in the tribe, Eduardo trusted Roberto, having taught him everything he knew; from opening Brazil nuts, to flying tricks and how to get out of traps.

Roberto was a selfless young macaw, but his origin was mysterious. No one knew where he had come from, and he refused to say anything about it. He had arrived just before he had been able to fly, found wondering alone in the forest, mumbling about something called 'crackers' and how he hated them. After he had been coaxed into joining the tribe, he had flourished into tribe life. Roberto had revealed his gift for singing not long after he had joined the tribe, and everyone, the young females in particular, has been fascinated by it. He charmed everyone around him; he was the perfect example of a young macaw. There seemed there nothing he couldn't do.

Tia gazed outside, looking at the dancing tribe. The dance was stunning; it really showed off how amazing the tribe really was. She had once been a terrible dancer, when she was young; she had frequently forgotten the lyrics and the next move. For some, the dance was easily mastered, but for others, like herself, it took time and patience. Some moves were particularly complex to perform and even remember. Tia then suddenly felt a wave of tiredness, and all she wanted to do was sleep. She closed her eyes, and tucked her head beneath her wing, which was firmly around her sleeping daughter.


	2. The Joy of Flight

A few weeks later, a small form perched upon a leafy branch, looking incredibly nervous as she looked over the edge of the branch, into the watery depths of the plunge pool. Their home was in a rocky gorge, a mixture of clay licks and rock as a waterfall fell down. The entrance to the gorge was a small, thin ravine, which their home was often referred to, despite the ravine only being the entrance. Apparently, an ancient leader had incorrectly referred the gorge as the 'ravine', but the name had stuck even when it had dawned upon them that the main living area wasn't actually a ravine.

Jewel was growing fast, and she was turning into a lovely macaw. She had her mother's eyes and head feathers, but her feather hue was more like that of her father's and aunt's. Other then this difference in colour, Jewel looked so much like Tia. She now watched, eyes wide with awe, as Roberto flew through the air, whooping. While her father, mother and aunt were out at the Brazil nut grove, Roberto was trying to teach her to fly.

Eduardo had appointed him 'chief babysitter', as a joke, but Roberto actually liked baby-sitting her; he was funny, smart, witty, and he had even been teaching Jewel some songs. He had taught her the song of 'Beautiful Creatures', and a couple of songs he and his friends had written. His voice was pure gold, to Jewel - she had never heard anything like his voice. Jewel had never thought that someone could sing so beautifully.

Roberto made flying look so easy; he carved through the air without effort, and pulled off many flying tricks easily. But she was frightened - if she fell, it was a long way down. A very long way down, actually. Jewel couldn't even see the ground beneath the cover of undergrowth. Who knew what was lurking under there...

"C'mon, Jewel!" yelled Roberto, looping-the-loop before folding his wings, diving straight down. Jewel gasped as he neared the surface of the plunge pool, a blur of blue. Her wings flew up to cover her eyes, but she couldn't help but peek through her newly-fledging wing feathers. Jewel's eyes widened in awe as Roberto suddenly spread his wings, skimming the surface of the water with his talons, and he flicked some water playfully at her as he landed beside her. From across the plunge pool, Jewel saw Roberto's friends clapping, squawking in encouragement and admiration. Roberto had promised to introduce her to them; he had large group of friends, so that it was difficult to remember all their names when he had listed them to her.

"That was awesome, Roberto!" Jewel squealed, hopping up and down just like her aunt Mimi would. "How did you do that? It's so - precise!" Jewel admired Roberto a lot; she hated to admit it, but she had a bit of a crush on him. He was so handsome, suave, and so generous - what was there not to like about him?

"_Roberto?"_ chuckled the older macaw. Roberto wasn't much older than her - when Jewel had hatched, he had just recently learned to fly. Apparently, Roberto had come from outside the tribe, but whenever Jewel asked him about his origin, he smoothly changed the subject. "No - call me 'Beto.' Anyway, you can fly like that if you just try it!" Jewel opened her beak to protest, but Roberto put a comforting wing around her. "Come on, you learn to fly today and I'll take you to the Brazil nut trees! Your momma's there, and your papa and auntie. Surprise them! Won't they be proud of you, seeing that you can fly already?" Roberto's blue eyes sparkled. Jewel looked over the branch, hesitant. "I'll catch you if you fall." Murmured Roberto, reassuringly. "You're not heavy at all."

"Hmm…" Jewel bit her lower beak, thinking, and then she nodded slowly. "Okay, _Beto…_ I'll give it shot." at the words, Roberto grinned, giving her a one-winged hug. Jewel found herself blushing, and she ducked her head shyly.

"That's the spirit!" he chuckled, fluffing up his feathers, shaking his head to push a few feathers out of his eyes. It often did that, and it was sort of irritating, to him. But it made him look great - not many Spix's macaws had crest feathers like he did. They really showed his attitude - when he was shocked or angry, they were spiked out in a wild manner. When they were flat, he was bored, and when they had a bounce, he was excited, relaxed or happy. "Remember - step, flap, leap, flap. Got it?"

"Yeah… step, flap, leap, flap. Step, flap, leap, flap. Got it. I don't step or leap afterwards, right? Just flap." Jewel looked over the edge of the branch again. The water was there, sure, but she didn't like the look of it. Although Eduardo had assured her that there were no piranhas or alligators in this part of the Amazon, (it was too shallow) she didn't very much like the thought of being surrounded by water. And there were actually fish in there. Would Roberto be able to reach her, if she fell into the water?

"Yup, that's it!" Roberto turned, and fell back, spreading his wings as he went. Roberto then shot back up, hovering a few feet in the air in front of her. Jewel gulped, and looked down. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind. _Step, flap, leap, flap._ She repeating the instructions in mind; and then she stepped, and then flapped her wings. Jewel screwed her eyes shut, and then she leapt, flapping her wings madly. Roberto whooped, applauding. "Wow, _Ju-Ju!_ Bravo! Check you out, girl!"

Jewel gasped, and then she hovered. Her talons churned through the air, before becoming still. "This…" she whispered, before crying out in joy. "This is _incredible!" _Jewel had never felt such a feeling. She felt - like she had no bounds. Not a care in the world. Was this freedom? Her wings then tired, and she quickly headed over to a nearby branch, flopping down onto it before they gave out. Roberto landed beside her, smiling widely.

"That was brilliant!" he was applauding. "Well done! My first flight wasn't easy whatsoever…" his voice cut off, as if he was remembering something. Jewel tipped her head. _Was his first flight really that bad? _Jewel's thoughts were quickly dismissed, however, as Roberto flipped his crest feathers. "Okay Ju-Ju - do some more flying from branch-to-branch; by the time you feel ready, we can go find your familia to show them."


	3. Conflict with the Scarlets

Jewel flew through the trees, Roberto flying not far ahead. They were going to the Brazil nut grove, where Eduardo, Tia, and Mimi were. Jewel had never tried a Brazil nut before, but her father had told her that such a 'precious' food source had to be protected with boundaries - territory boundaries from the neighbouring tribe, the Scarlet macaws. This group of Scarlet macaws were lead by Rojo, an old but fierce Scarlet who had a son named Felipe. Felipe was around Roberto's age now, but according to Eduardo, he had the same personality as his father. Jewel didn't like the sound of either Felipe or Rojo, and she was glad that there were territory boundaries. Without them, she would be likely to meet either one of them. Jewel was distracted by Roberto's voice, and she looked up.

"Ju-Ju, we're here!" Roberto looked down at her, before swerving to the right, heading toward a cluster of trees. Jewel followed him, and landed on a branch beside him. Roberto was looking around, blue eyes scanning each branch of the trees.

"Hey Beto," Jewel said, looking around, puzzled. She stood on her tip-toes to try and see. "Where's the 'brazil nuts?' I can only see leaves and branches."

"There they are." Said Roberto, pointing with his wingtip. Jewel narrowed her eyes, peering through the leaves, and then she spotted a large, brown thing. Roberto flew up to it, landing beside it, and snapped through the stem so the nut dropped to his talons. Roberto waved at her, and she fluttered up to join him. "Hey, look - Eduardo, Tia, Mimi!" Roberto called, waving a wing, and Jewel followed his gaze until she saw her parents and aunt. The three were looking out, eyes on the tree line on the other side of a small stream, and then they turned at the sound of their names.

"Roberto, Jewel!" Eduardo's eyes flickered with surprise. "Jewel, how did you get here?"

"I flew, daddy!" Jewel replied, hopping up and down excitedly. "Want to see? Beto taught me how to fly!"

"_Beto?" _Mimi's eyes momentarily swam with confusion, and then she understood. "Oh! You mean Roberto? Aww, how sweet - you've given each other nicknames?" she smiled at Tia, who smiled back.

"Anyway," said Tia. "Show us, sweetie!" Jewel, happy to be able to show off her skills to her family at last, leapt confidently off the branch. She immediately heard squeals of delight and wild applause from Mimi as she flew toward them, flapping her wings. Jewel rolled as she flew past the trio, and then she looped around a large, over-hanging branch. She heard mutters of worry from Eduardo, but Tia said something back. Suddenly, Tia stopped mid-speech.

"Jewel, stop!" she cried, raising her wings to fly. It was then that Jewel felt talons wrap around her neck. She squeaked, stopping abruptly, hanging by her throat in a pair of claws. Gulping, she looked up. An enormous red bird with white on his beak and black markings the bare skin around his beak, and yellow and blue-green on his wings. His beak was cracked and chipped in places, and the tip had broken away. The talons themselves were knobbly from age, and she noticed that his other foot had a toe missing. The bird was _enormous, _bigger then her father.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" the bird - a Scarlet macaw - grinned with his cracked beak. "A little blue _trespasser?" _Jewel could hear Eduardo screeching, and see him flying toward them from the corner of her eye, but she didn't want to be in the macaw's talons a second longer. She had a feeling that this old bird was Rojo, the Scarlet macaw tribe's leader.

"Get… off me!" Jewel shrieked, raising her claws and slashing them at her attacker's stomach. There was a sudden rush of air as he dropped her, and another as Eduardo threw himself at him, squawking furiously. With a cry of terror, Jewel darted back toward the Brazil nut trees, throwing herself into her mother's and aunt's wings. Both Tia and Mimi's feathers were on end, and Roberto's crest feathers were spiked out like they did when he was furious or shocked. He was clearly furious right now, judged by his squawk of rage. Roberto had started to fly toward Eduardo and Rojo, but then the two fighting macaws broke apart, both breathing fast; there a red stain spreading over Eduardo's leg feathers, but it wasn't his blood. Jewel the noticed red glistening on her own claws, and she looked down, seeing a small smear of blood from where she had struck Rojo with her small talons. He was the one bleeding, and now he flew backwards, retreating from Eduardo. Suddenly, there was a few red blurs through the air from the tree line. Smaller, younger Scarlet macaws, squawking in anger, gathered around Rojo, before turning slowly, glaring with slitted eyes at the five Spix's macaws.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" hissed Eduardo, flicking his talons to rid of some blood. He hadn't wounded Rojo seriously, but it was enough to cause some considerable pain. "If you lay a claw on one of my tribe members - let alone my _daughter…"_ he said, turning to look at Jewel."I won't tolerate it."

"A _claw_?" A younger macaw that bore some considerable resemblance to Rojo flew forward. "All he did was grab her neck! That's hardly hurting her!" then the younger one's eyes landed on Roberto, and he narrowed his eyes. _"Roberto." _He hissed.

"_Felipe." _Roberto's eyes equally narrowed. Jewel looked from Roberto to Felipe, and then she jumped as Mimi whispered in her ear.

"Those two have a history." She muttered. "When Roberto first joined, he was close to the border - not crossing it, but close to it - and Felipe spotted him. They argued, and they had a fight. Look at Felipe's wing; there's that patch of feathers. They grew back, but patchily." Jewel looked at the underside of the young Scarlet macaw's wing, and caught a glimpse of a small but visible patch of feathers close to Felipe's wing-pit. As Mimi had said, they were patchy. Roberto must have torn out a few of Felipe's feathers during the fight. Jewel looked at her own wing, and winced. Tearing out that many feathers from under a wing, so close to the skin, would have been painful.

"We'll deal with this later." Snarled Rojo, his beak clenched in rage. "Come along, Felipe - I don't want my son being badly influenced."

"Sure, dad." Muttered Felipe, before grinning back at the five, and then at his fellow Scarlet macaws. "C'mon guys - let go. Is it over yet? Absolutely, no." laughing, Felipe then turned, flying after Rojo with his fellow macaws beside him.


	4. Decisions, decisions

Jewel flew at the back, with Roberto. Ahead, Mimi and Tia flew, and at the front of the group was Eduardo. There was a horrible, awkward silence, and Jewel felt awful; was it her fault, that her father and Rojo had fought each other? If she hadn't been flying so close to the border, she wouldn't have provoked Rojo.

"Ju-Ju, don't look so down." Said a comforting voice, and Jewel looked up into Roberto's kind eyes. "It was an accident - you were a_ few_ _feet_ over the border. Honestly, I don't know why that lot are so protective. A few Brazil nuts? You weren't even looking for any, you were flying. Beautifully, too."

"Yes, but that _few feet_ _over the border_ may have given us a big problem." Eduardo said over his wing, eyes narrowed and anger in his voice. "Do you two know just how precious the grove is? It's the only one for miles. Honestly, Roberto! It was bad enough when you had that little _luta _with Felipe." Roberto's crest feathers rose, but he didn't speak. He ducked his head unhappily as Eduardo went on in a serious tone. "But this is worse. We'd better not have another match in the Pit of Doom." He exchanged a dark look with Mimi and Tia.

"The _what?"_ Jewel blinked. What was the 'Pit of Doom?' Tia looked back at Jewel.

"It's a stone hollow, Jewel - there's rock columns and plants and a lake in the bottom, where the teams play. It's a game, basically, but it's much more serious then that water-skiing you kids do with the lily pads. There's a ball, and you have to shoot it in the other team's net. Our team is a good one, but the Scarlets like to cheat; knocking out our players and pretending it was an accident." Tia looked at Mimi and Eduardo. "Do you two remember the match with the Hyacinth macaws? Honestly, they were _brutal - _Asa almost broke her wing!"

"I'm not surprised, they are massive, Hyacinths…" Mimi snorted. "Almost_ twice _your height!" she said, looking at Roberto. Jewel stared. Roberto was very tall, for his age; he practically towered over her. "Anyway, it doesn't matter - none of this was Jewel's fault, she didn't know the border was there. It's our fault, we should have told her."

"Yes, but - " Eduardo began, but Mimi cut him off.

"Shut up, Eduardo!" Mimi rolled her eyes, and there was a bitter silence before Eduardo turned his head away. Jewel, Tia and Roberto exchanged looks. Mimi was really the only one in the entire tribe who was willing to give her younger brother a piece of her mind.

_A few minutes later_

Jewel flew to a branch that had plenty of leaves around it, so that she was concealed. Eduardo was telling the tribe about their problem, and she was uncomfortably aware of eyes turning to her hiding place.

"In advance of the potential match, I think that our team needs an 'update'. No offence, but we need new blood in the team." Eduardo was looking at Glauco, a Spix's who had apparently been in the team for years and was beginning to show his age. Knowing he was being talked about, Glauco swung his greying head up. The feathers had begun to tint grey as he got older, and one eye was turning greyish as he begun to lose some sight in it.

"Nonsense!" Glauco snorted, fluffing out his rough feathers. "Look at me, I'm a picture of health! I look younger than -" but as Glauco began to walk forward, he didn't notice the end of the branch. Everyone looked down as he fell off the branch, his yell of surprise echoing, and most macaws winced as he vanished into some vegetation.

"As I was saying…" said Eduardo, looking back up. "You lot are still in the team -" he picked out a few existing members of the team, who were still in good enough shape for the job. Then he turned to other macaws. "Any volunteers?" wings shot up, and Eduardo's criticizing eyes scanned each volunteer. His eyes rested on Roberto and Carlos, who was a large macaw and friend of Roberto. "You two."

"Yes!" one of Roberto's wings pumped the air, and he and Carlos flew over to the team. Eduardo picked one more member, a female called Manuela. The team now had three new players; Roberto, Carlos and Manuela.

"Excellent." declared Eduardo, satisfied with the new players. "We'll use the area above the plunge pool for practise, and we'll have to wait and see for Rojo's decision. Also," he turned before flying off. "I'll need another patrol… apparently there was some human activity close to the walking palm trees."

_Meanwhile_

Felipe and his friends had their ears pressed to the vine curtains, trying to hear the conversation between Rojo and the elders, a group that consisted of the oldest, most mature Scarlet macaw members.

"I can't believe my dad didn't let me be part of the conversation." Felipe grumbled. "It's unbelievable; I'm his _son_, for goodness sake…"

"Sssh!" squeaked Adelaide, a pretty female Scarlet macaw. Felipe had a little crush on her, but he didn't want to admit it. "I heard something!"

"A fight is unwise." Said a slow, droning voice, and Felipe recognised the voice of Sol, a very bedraggled macaw who everyone preferred to avoid. He would mumble about omens and prophecies, claiming of doom and despair, and at the beginning of every year he would predict that a tribe mate would die by the next year. However, none of Sol's predictions had come true; a few years ago he predicted the death of Sergio, a young macaw, but Sergio was still alive, playing goalie for their Pit of Doom team. Sol then spoke again. "It would cause serious casualties, and the moon predicts that -"

"Yeah, whatever." Said Rojo, raising his wing to silence him. Sol opened his beak to protest, but Rojo went on. "But to make you shut up; I will instead arrange a match in the Pit of Doom."


	5. Brazil nuts and a message

Jewel and Tia were in the Brazil nut grove, a Brazil nut sitting on the branch between them. Jewel casted a look to the right, toward the outside of the grove, where she saw a flash of blue as a tribe mate flew by. Eduardo, with the advice of Mimi, had been sending out regular patrols to watch over the grove. Mimi thought that another possibility would be that Rojo and his tribe would decide to raid their side of the grove for nuts, instead of a match in the Pit of Doom. Jewel then heard clapping, and turned back to face her mother, who had clapped to get her attention.

"Jewel, sweetheart, pay attention." said Tia. "I'm going to show you how to open a Brazil nut – and when you yourself are blessed with chicks, you can teach them the same." At this sentence, Jewel pictured three chicks; she could picture herself with a clutch of three, two girls and a boy. The girls would have more of a resemblance to herself, the boy looking more like his father. Jewel wondered about her future mate – there was no doubt that she would have one, since she was so beautiful. She had already caught the attention of several males, who gave her comments and tried their best to befriend her. "You listening, Jewel?" Tia asked, and Jewel nodded. "You have to use your beak; it's your most important tool, other than your talons..." when Tia had explained how to open a Brazil nut, Jewel nodded, looking at it.

"Okay, here goes." Jewel picked up the Brazil nut in her talons, and began to chew at the shell with her beak. Before long, she had managed to break the shell, revealing the edible part.

"Well done, honey!" Tia put a loving wing around her daughter, turquoise eyes warm with pride. "First attempt! It took me three tries to do it! Go on, you eat it – I just want to talk to your father." Tia kissed her on the forehead, before launching off the branch and flying in the direction of the falls. Happy at her praise, Jewel looked at the opened Brazil nut, before picking up some of the edible part and swallowing it. Jewel felt surprise flow through her – it was surprisingly good, the Brazil nut. She actually preferred it over the sweet fruit that Mimi often brought her.

As Jewel ate the Brazil nut, her gaze wandered around the grove. The trees were very tall and leafy, and you had to look for several moments before you saw any Brazil nuts. Jewel looked up, making sure that none were above her. Tia had warned her not to perch under one; Brazil nuts were so heavy, it could kill you if it happened to fall on your head. They could even kill humans, apparently. Jewel had never seen a human, but the tribe was terrified of them – especially Roberto. He stiffened when the word 'human' was mentioned, and he would apparently mumble about them when he slept, sounding frightened. Jewel had tried to question Roberto several times about why he seemed so afraid of them, but he refused to tell her. He had even refused to tell Mimi, who was so gentle and compassionate to all tribe members. Having finished the Brazil nut, Jewel waited for Tia's return. After a few minutes, she began preening her feathers, running her beak through them to make them cleaner.

Then she heard a cough, and she turned her head. Jewel stiffened as she found herself looking into a pair of green eyes, which belonged to a Scarlet macaw. A female stood beside him, looking both excited and tense as she glared at Jewel.

"Hey, menina! Where's old Eddie?" Felipe chuckled, and the female beside him laughed.

"Don't you call me 'menina.'" Jewel snapped. "And who's 'Old Eddie?'" she scowled, and her feathers spiked a little. "If you're talking about my dad, his name's _Eduardo. _Get it? _Ed-ward-o. _And he's not old, for your information. Nowhere near as old as ancient Joey– how old is he? A hundred?" at her comment, Felipe's beak snapped shut, and both he and the female stopped laughing. There was a long silence, before he spoke again.

"My father's not old. And he's not called 'Joey'." Felipe hissed through a gritted beak, before turning to the female for backup. "Right, Adelaide?"

"That's right." Adelaide puffed out her fluffy feathers, her brown eyes resentful as she looked at Jewel. "He's certainly younger then Old Eddie." She then tipped her head, looking at Jewel's plumage, a smile creeping onto her beak. "You know, blue's an awful colour. It makes you all look cold."

"Red makes you lot look like apples." snapped Jewel. "What do you two want? You're a bit close to our side of the grove, aren't you?" _Where's that patrol when I need it? _

"Are we?" sighed Felipe, inspecting his talons without a care in the world. "My mistake. Must have slipped my mind. Anyway – we have a little message from Rojo for Eddie."

"Oh?" Jewel crossed her wings. "What's this 'little message', then?"

"Tell your daddy that Rojo wants a match in the Pit of Doom for the whole grove. Tomorrow at midday – I hope you're all ready to play!" sneering, Felipe turned, looking at Adelaide. "Come on Adelaide, let's fly; take to the sky!" laughing to themselves, Felipe and Adelaide turned, and left, leaving Jewel glaring after them. She scowled, and dug her claws into the tree bark, imagining that it was Felipe's back.

"You think you can take the grove?" she hissed. "Bring it on!" Jewel turned on her heels, and flew away, a pale blue blur in the green rainforest.


	6. Close encounter

Jewel listened, fascinated, as Roberto sang. It was the night before the match in the Pit of Doom, and Mimi thought that having a good time would lighten the mood and boost their determination for the match tomorrow. So this meant dancing, flying, joking and for those with the talent, singing. She noticed that several other females were gazing in awe at Roberto, eyes dreamy. Roberto then burst into a new song, singing his heart out.

_Look at her eyes -_

_Such a wonderful colour -_

_Like two little gems,_

_Which in comparison seems much duller…_

Several females swayed, and many became very giggly. Jewel smiled at Roberto, who shook his head to move some of the silky crest feathers out of his eyes. Her heart seemed to speed up, and she blushed underneath her face feathers. Roberto winked at her, before moving onto the next verse. Jewel looked over the plunge pool, where many of the tribe were either dancing or performing acrobatic flying tricks. Despite the threat of losing the Brazil nut grove, Mimi's advice had proven right, for even Eduardo looked less worried; he was dancing with Tia. Mimi, meanwhile, was joining in the flying tricks, laughing as she accidently did a wrong move. Jewel smiled to herself. She truly couldn't ask for a better family - they loved her dearly, and love was the most important thing in a family. They had even forgiven her over the possibility of losing the grove, although Eduardo seemed to be finding that a little difficult. He was still extremely angry, being grumpy most of the day and being sterner. But as the tribe's mood lightened, so had his. As Roberto finished his song, there was wild applause and he bowed deeply, thanking them. Jewel smiled over her shoulder, and then flew away, flying over the dance and out of the ravine.

She made sure that she wasn't flying near the Brazil nut grove; she didn't want another incident with the Scarlet macaws. Jewel defiantly didn't want to see Felipe or Adelaide for the rest of the day, so she headed to the Amazon River. She flew close to the surface, and then she saw pale shapes emerging. Some river dolphins began leaping in and out of the water below her, and Jewel flew a little higher to avoid their playful antics as they spouted water toward her. The river dolphins seemed to have a bond with their tribe, and Eduardo and Tia seemed rather fond of them. As the dolphins gradually went back to swimming below the water, Jewel flew closer to the river surface, occasionally dipping a talon in so that the spray scattered lightly over her feathers. She then looked ahead, and gasped, swerving wildly to the left.

An enormous red and white thing glided across the river, the water behind it churning and frothing as some propellers cut through the water. Jewel looked behind her, and saw the River Dolphins frantically swimming out of its path, squealing in fright. She then heard weird clicking sounds, and looked up. Jewel was dazed as bright, unnatural light flashed from several black boxes above her, directed at her. Her head spun, and then she realized that the boxes were in the hands of several creatures she had never seen. But she recognised them instantly from her father's detailed description. Their skin had no fur or feathers, but there was hair on their heads and on a few of the males, on their faces. Their skin varied in colour, and they were making loud noises as they either laughed or chattered to one another. Their sounds rang in Jewel's ears, and she saw red. _These creatures have taken away the forest we live in, killed so many animals, and threatened my species! Because of them, my tribe is the only one left with Spix's macaws! _Her family had drummed this information into her mind, telling her over and over again never to approach one or let one see her. Shrieking in rage, she flew straight up, knocking a flashing box from one human's hand. There were gasps of shock, and the boxes stopped flashing as the humans backed away. Jewel was furious; she sank her beak into the human's wrist, and he cried out, shaking his arm madly to try and dislodge her. Then she saw another running toward them, a large, wooden bat in its hand. Jewel let go of the human's wrist and spun round, flying out of reach as the wooden bat swung through the air, missing her by inches. Jewel let out a loud, ear-shattering squawk, before fleeing, her wings aching as she flew like never before.

Jewel didn't stop flying until she was deep into the jungle, hidden from the humans. She leaned against a tree trunk, eyes closed, breathing fast. She was trying to calm down, but she couldn't. The boat had almost hit the pod of River Dolphins; a few seconds, and they could have been either seriously injured or dead. If she hadn't looked up, she could have crashed into the boat. Jewel could still taste the human's blood from where she had bitten him, and she began spitting, her saliva tinted red from the blood. Seeing some water collected in a large leaf, Jewel began washing her beak out, until she could no longer taste the human's blood. She then chewed on some passion fruit, beginning to calm down. She wasn't going to tell her father or mother about it, not even Aunt Mimi or Roberto. Defiantly _not _Roberto, judged by how he reacted at the mention of humans. She wasn't going to tell anyone about her little incident with the humans - better that the mood didn't return to its dark state.

When her heart had slowed down, Jewel began making her way home. She arrived back to find most of the macaws having a water-skiing competition with the giant lily pads. Making sure that her feathers were smooth, Jewel flew toward Manuela and Sophia, who was an elegant, slim female macaw with dark blue feathers. Sophia, around Jewel's age, was also the tribe's new scorekeeper for matches in the Pit of Doom.

"Hey, Jewel!" she said, smiling. "Where've you been?"

"Oh, just for… a fly-out." Jewel said, trying to sound casual. Sophia nodded, and then refocused on the water-skiing, where a young chick was having his turn, throwing himself onto a water lily and gliding over the water, squealing with joy as the tribe cheered him on.

"Go, Adão!" whooped Manuela. The chick was Manuela's younger brother, and she high-winged him as he flew past. Manuela's mother and father perched beside her, and Adão enveloped himself in his mother's wings. Jewel smiled to herself. _Will that be me one day, with chicks of my own? _After her close encounter, Jewel now felt better. As long as she stayed far from the humans, they wouldn't hurt her, would they? Jewel then vowed to herself never to go near a human again.


	7. The game

Jewel moaned, picking up a leaf and covering her face as light suddenly beamed sharply into the hollow. She could Mimi's enthusiastic voice calling to her, but she couldn't be bothered to open her eyes. A 'curtain' of woven leaves and vines usually cloaked over the hollow's entrance to block out rain and wind in the night, and it also kept out sunlight during the day if it was too bright. Mimi must have pulled it back, allowing the hot, bright sun to pour into the hollow. Jewel's eyes eventually opened, and she sat up, squinting.

"Mimi." She groaned. "I know I said I like waking up early, but why did I have to wake up like _that... _what's wrong with nudging or calling me?"

"Come on, sweetie!" Mimi threw something to Jewel's feet, and when she squinted down at it, she realized that it was a piece of mango. "Today's the day!"

"What day is today?" mumbled Jewel, still half-asleep as she gnawed on the piece of mango.

"The match!" chortled a voice, and Tia stuck her head into the hollow from outside, a few Acai berries in her talons.

"The match?" Jewel blinked, and then she remembered. "Oh! Oh, the match! Okay!" suddenly feeling awake, Jewel finished the piece of mango and flew outside, landing beside her mother. The tribe was alive with both excitement and nerves as they gathered in front of Eduardo and the team. Manuela and Sophia, both waved at Jewel, and she waved back enthusiastically. Roberto then swooped past Jewel.

"Morning, Ju-Ju!" he said brightly. "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck, Beto!" she replied, high-winging him as he passed her. Jewel then turned as Eduardo began to speak, chewing on an Acai berry Tia had given her.

"With our excellent team, we have a real chance of winning this match!" Eduardo said, raising both wings to gather the tribe's attention. "The deal was that if we lose, they get our side of the grove as well as theirs, but if we win, we get their side of the grove as well as our own!" the tribe cheered, and leaves flew up into the air as they threw them. "Blue for the win!_ Cyanopsitta spixii_ \- and proud!" the cheering grew louder, until it filled the entire ravine. Eduardo nodded to the team, and Roberto threw out his wings.

"Cuk-caw!" he squawked, the traditional 'sound' the team was famous for. The team and the tribe copied it, and Eduardo, Tia, Mimi, Jewel and the team lead the way out of the ravine as the rest of the tribe followed, cheering their species name.

"Spix's, Spix's!"

_Ten minutes later_

Half of the stone stands were red, and the other half was blue. The Scarlets and the Spix's cheered wildly for their teams. Jewel, who was now almost as tall as Mimi, stood between her mother and aunt as Eduardo talked to the team on the lowest rock ledge. Rock columns stood in the clear water, and plants and flowers draped the stands and the columns, vines stretching from rock column to rock column. The goals were two rock arches, which were also adorned with vines and plants and flowers. Asa, who had almost broken her wing during a brutal match with the Hyacinth macaw tribe, was their goalie. The aging Glauco had insisted at least being their last substitute, and now stood impatiently beside the line of substitutes. Sophia was fulfilling her first job as scorekeeper. She was now staring daggers at the Scarlet's scorekeeper, who was similar in look and elegance, a female named Azalea. The pair stood on a rock ledge, a pile of Brazil nuts sitting between them, still glaring at each other.

Jewel scanned the Scarlet's stands, and then found Felipe and Adelaide; there were on the lower ledge with the team and Rojo. They were whispering to one another, and as the referee called the teams, Adelaide gave Felipe a quick kiss on the cheek before flying away into the stands. It looked as if Felipe was in the team, unfortunately. He smiled sweetly at Roberto, who glared. The head of the teams stood on the same rock column, giving each other similar looks. The Spix's head of team was named Abel, and the Scarlet's head of team was called Flavio.

"Tails." Said Abel.

"Heads." Hissed Flavio, and then the little bird was thrown between them, landing with her head up, so it was classified as 'heads'. She quickly dropped the ball, a piece of round fruit, before she quickly flew away, a little yellow, red and black blur. Flavio immediately kicked the ball fiercely, and the game began. Jewel leapt up and down, cheering loudly. Mimi was throwing out her wings as she leapt up and down, occasionally hitting Jewel and the macaw on her other side, but neither really minded. Tia was whooping, cheering on the team members. As the ball was passed to Felipe, he aimed it at one of his fellow team members but Roberto intercepted, grabbing the ball.

"Mind if I borrow this?" Roberto yelled, and Felipe gave him a scornful look before pursuing him. Roberto kicked it to Carlos, who then kicked it to Manuela; she turned, and then kicked it hard, sending it flying into the Scarlet macaw's goal. Wild cheering from the Spix's tribe filled the stone hollow, and Manuela's little brother squealed with joy. The team surrounded Manuela, throwing her into the air and chanting her name. Sophia grinned at Azalea, picking up a Brazil nut in her beak, and tossed it onto the ledge above as Azalea scowled, seething. The Spix's tribe did a Mexican wave, and Jewel threw her wings up as it passed over her. The Scarlets sat still, muttering and glaring. After Manuela's success, the Scarlet team also scored a goal via Felipe. The Spix's tribe groaned, wings either hanging at their sides or wrapped over their heads as the Scarlet tribe whooped, also doing a Mexican wave.

There were several goals, and several casualties; Felipe got a foul as he pushed Carlos heftily, injuring Carlos's foot and rendering him unable to play. The ball hit Asa so hard on the head that she fell unconscious and had to be replaced by her younger sister Aleixo, who wasn't very good at goal-keeping but was their last substitute, other than Glauco. Finally, the scores were tied; the next goal would decide who gained and who lost the Brazil nut grove. Jewel watched, her beak chattering, not with cold, but with nerves. This next goal was their last hope. Her talons gripped the stone edge beneath her as she watched the ball being passed. Roberto ducked a Scarlet macaw's outstretched wing went to swipe at him, and then he waved at Abel frantically. Abel spotted him, and then dribbled the ball until he was close enough to him to pass. Roberto caught the ball, and then he dribbled toward the Scarlet macaw goal. He kicked, doing a back-ward somersault as he did; the ball flew through the air, and everyone gripped the edge of their ledges as the goalie reached toward it. But it slipped past her wings - the ball shot into the goal.

There were groans and shouts from the Scarlet macaws - then there was uproar from the Spix's macaws. Macaws leapt up and down, hugged, and some even cried. Tia and Mimi threw their wings around Jewel, and the three leapt up and down, squawking with excitement as Sophia scored it, dancing on the spot as Azalea scowled in rage. Roberto was surrounded by the team, and was thrown into the air like when Manuela had scored. Eduardo was celebrating; he did many acrobatic flying tricks, and then he pointed at Rojo, a look of amusement on his face. Rojo was sobbing, wings thrown over his head and cursing as Felipe crouched by, looking ashamed and furious as he stared at Roberto. Felipe then put a wing around Adelaide, before flying away with her, disappearing into the trees, the Scarlet macaw tribe in tow.


	8. City air

"I've noticed you and Roberto have been spending a lot of time together, recently." Tia said as they flew. Tia had taken her out to teach her about something, but Jewel couldn't think as to what it was about. She'd been taught to open Brazil nuts, advanced flying tricks, trap-evading and even where to find the best source of mangoes, which Jewel really loved. She couldn't possibly think about what Tia wanted to teach her.

"Have you?" Jewel blushed. "Well mom, he is my friend, isn't he?" she flew a little faster to fly alongside Tia. It had been over three months since their win at the Pit of Doom, and Jewel had grown quite a lot. She was now taller than Mimi, and it was likely she would be around her mother's height when she was fully grown. She hadn't really inheritited much from Eduardo, other than his similar feather colour. Jewel did seem to be developing some of his personality, however. She wasn't really polite - she never said 'please' and 'excuse me' every time, although she wasn't completely rude. She also had a little bit of a short temper, getting frustrated and irritated rather easily. It wasn't a big issue, but still.

"Of course he is, sweetheart, but you know - the first love isn't always the best."

"Mom!" Jewel went crimson, and her skin grew hot with embarrassment. "We're only friends, honestly!"

"Just making a point." Said Tia innocently, but there was a slight spark of amusement in her eyes. "When I was your age, I had a friend - we were closer then close friends, and I had a few feelings for him. But he let me down; he wasn't faithful to me at all, always seducing other females. I decided that he wasn't right for me, and I met your father, sometime afterwards. I'm just saying; the first isn't always 'the one', as perfect as he seems."

"Okay…" Jewel stared, feeling rather awkward. "Thanks for the advice. Anyway, why are we out here, again? You wanted to show me something, didn't you?"

"Yes - and Jewel, you're going to have to promise me something when we get there. We're going to see Manaus."

"What's Manaus?"

"It's a human city." At Tia's words, Jewel stopped flying, and landed on a tree, staring at her mother in bewilderment.

"Are you joking? Dad told me about those places - he said that -"

"Jewel, we're not going _up close_ to it!" Tia pointed out. "And it's good that you seem so wary of it. You're going to have to promise me that you'll never go near a human. Because the tribe and me have seen what they can do, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Of course I promise!" Jewel threw her wings around Tia. "I've vowed that to myself, actually. So we're not going _into _the city?"

"Of course not!" Tia returned the hug, before lifting back into the air. "I'm just going to show you what a city looks like from here. Look - can you see that gray and brown mass in the distance?" Tia pointed with her wingtip as they flew, and Jewel followed the indication until she spotted it.

"I see it… but I think I need to go closer. It's really far away."

"Alright." Tia and Jewel flew a little faster until the city of Manaus was much more defined. Jewel inhaled sharply. The buildings were hard-edged and unnaturally shaped; no tree or boulder was a perfect rectangle or cube. Speaking of trees, there were few in the winding roads. The buildings were mostly a dull, boring gray, brown and occasional white. A strange smell entered Jewel's nostrils, and she gagged a little. Tia blinked sympathetically. "You've never smelt city air, which is why it seems so repulsive. After you smell it for the first time, you'll know when there's a city." Jewel nodded wildly.

"Don't you worry - I'll never go near one! There's hardly any green! Can we go, please? That smell is going to choke me if we go any closer!" Tia nodded in agreement, and Jewel flew away as fast as possible, so fast that Tia had to call for her to slow down a little.

"Oh, and Jewel - please don't tell your father that we were near so many humans."

"Why not?"

"He's forbidden talk of humans in the entire tribe, since he had a terrible experience with some loggers once… they nearly killed him." Tia's eyes grew dark. "I don't want him getting stressed."

"That's a definite." Jewel replied, her own eyes darkened. Tia nodded, and then, after almost an hour of flying, the ravine was in sight. Jewel forced a smile onto her beak as she approached her friends. "Hi, guys…"

"Ju-Ju!" Roberto waved enthusiastically. "We've just invented a terrific game - it's really fun, no one had ever thought of doing it. It's daring but it's going to be really fun."

"Really? What's the game?" she asked, and Sophia turned around.

"We're calling it 'Waterfall-diving!'" she said, looked excited. "You have to fly to the top of the waterfall, and then you fold your wings and dive down - you go in pairs, and whoever stops diving last is the winner! Now -" Sophia turned to the group. "Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go!" Manuela piped up from beside Carlos, who also volunteered - his foot had healed up very nicely, so he could participate. The pair flew to the top of the falls, and then, as Roberto waved a wing, they both folded their wings, plummeting head-first toward the plunge pool. Manuela looked at Carlos, but as the water neared, she suddenly opened her wings. Seeing that Manuela had stopped, Carlos also pulled out of his dive and cheering rang out.

"Carlos has won this round!" Sophia announced, before turning back. "Who's next?"

"I'll go!" Jewel offered, and then Roberto also raised his wing. Within a minute, they both hovered at the top of the waterfall, hearing the squawks of encouragement from their friends.

"You ready, Ju-Ju?" Roberto asked, his crest feathers spiking a little as he took in the height.

"Born ready, Beto." Jewel assured him. Their gazes turned to the cluster of young macaws, and then Manuela waved her wing to signal. As her wing waved, both the macaws began diving. Jewel's feathers flattened against her, and Roberto's crest feathers blew back against his head as they dived down the waterfall. Jewel didn't move her head to look at Roberto as they passed the mark where most macaws usually stopped their dives, but she heard his wings fly out as he stopped. Jewel didn't stop, though; she continued diving until the onlookers gasped. Finally, she stretched out her wings and hovered, metres above the water.

"Nice one, Jewel!" A male macaw called Lawrence yelled. Jewel laughed to herself, and then Roberto flew down beside her, his feathers ruffled from diving.

"That was fun!" his eyes sparkled as they alighted back down on the branch beside the others.


	9. Hiding your emotion

Felipe and some other Scarlet macaws were in the Brazil nut grove, taking bundles of Brazil nuts, their guard watching for any sign of Spix's macaws. They had begun stealing from the grove, watched by a 'sentry duty', which made sure that they weren't gathering unwanted attention from the Spix's tribe. They were taking it from their former side, closer to their territory, where the Spix's macaws didn't really go. Despite this, they were still wary - if they were spotted, not only would Eduardo be furious but so would Rojo. Felipe, one nut in his beak and two in his talons, dropped the nuts in the sack. The sack was made of woven leaves, and it was filled with Brazil nuts. "Right, I think we've got enough." Reported Felipe, and he was helped by several other macaws in carrying their bundle. Adelaide flew alongside him, a Brazil nut in each talon.

"We've got to get our side back somehow." She muttered. "I'm sick of this…" Felipe nodded in agreement, unable to speak with a Brazil nut in his beak. Behind them, several macaws were picking up any moulted feathers to hide the evidence that they were there. Finally, they arrived back in their own territory, and they hung the bag from a branch, dropping all the extra Brazil nuts in. Macaws began queuing up for Brazil nuts, thanking Felipe and the foraging group.

"Just you wait." Felipe said, turning to Adelaide. "When I'm leader, I'm getting our side of the grove back."

"You might not have to wait long." Said a rasping voice, and they turned to see Sol, that distant look in his eyes. Felipe and Adelaide exchanged bewildered looks, and Felipe resisted the urge to claw the old macaw's face.

"You've predicted the death of a tribe member every year, but they're still alive, aren't they? Why should Rojo be any different?" Adelaide was trying to stay calm and quiet, but her voice was tense.

"Oh, I'm not wrong this time." Sol then reached into the leaf sack, taking out a Brazil nut, and then he flew away, murmuring about omens.

"I'm going to kill him one day." Felipe vowed, talons digging into the branch beneath him. "If he doesn't shut his beak…"

"He's old and crazy." Said Adelaide calmly, cracking open a Brazil nut. "He's the oldest bird in the tribe; he's going to go at some point sooner or later. He's probably the oldest macaw in the entire Amazon." Felipe nodded slowly, but he wasn't really listening. Part of him wished that Sol's predictions were correct. Felipe had never loved his father - Rojo had been abusive to Felipe's mother, always pushing her around and insulting her at every chance he got. Then one day, she had simply vanished. The tribe's best trackers had tried to find any trace of her, but she had never been found. Felipe had a feeling that it was something to do with Rojo. He had looked a little shifty when she was announced missing, and he had recovered from the grief extremely quickly - one day, to be precise. Rojo had returned to his normal self within a day, acting as if she had never existed.

There was then the sound of either an exhausted or panicked macaw - their breathing was heavy and ragged, and their wings were flapping wildly and loudly. When Felipe turned, he saw Azalea. She had gone out with a patrol, to look over some recent logging activity. For once, Rojo had accompanied them. But Rojo and the rest of the patrol were nowhere in sight. Adelaide immediately rushed over to Azalea, who was her cousin.

"You okay, Lea?" Adelaide asked, concern in her brown eyes. Azalea's feathers were on end, and her eyes were hollow with worry.

"It's Rojo!" she panted. "Come on!" Felipe's green eyes widened, and then he jumped at the soft sound of Sol's voice in his ear.

"I told you so." He murmured, as Felipe and several other macaws followed Azalea out of the tribe's home.

_Ten minutes later_

Felipe stared at the wing, which poked out from underneath a fallen tree. The body was inaccessible, crushed by the tree. The distant sound of machinery faded as the loggers departed, logs heaped onto their tree harvesters. The wing belonged to that of Rojo - a ragged scar parting the feathers on the top of the wing proved it. Felipe didn't feel anything; he didn't feel grief or enmity. He felt nothing. He didn't miss his father. Rojo had been arrogant toward him his entire life - he didn't deserve to be mourned. He hadn't loved him.

"Felipe…" said a quiet voice. Adelaide stood beside him, sympathy in her eyes. "I'm really sorry for your loss." Felipe realized that he had to show some grief; it was appropriate. He huddled his wings to himself, and made his voice catch as he spoke.

"Th-thank you." He whispered, in what he hoped was a convincing, mournful voice. Adelaide began preening his wing feathers, which was also a comforting gesture as well as a way to tidy and clean feathers. Flavio covered Rojo's wing with some leaves to hide it, and then he turned to Felipe.

"As Rojo's only child, you are now our tribe leader." He said quietly. "Rojo would have wanted you to take his place." Felipe looked at Flavio, trying to have reluctance in his eyes, before he nodded slowly, looking as unsure as possible to convince them of how upset he was.

"Yes." He cleared his throat. "He will be deeply missed. I'm going home… I want a little time to myself." Felipe turned, and flew away, the look of fake sorrow on his face disappearing as they lost sight of him. _That was sooner than I thought. Maybe Sol's not so crazy after all._


	10. Memories

Roberto chewed on a piece of star fruit, reminding himself in his head to get one for Jewel. She hadn't tried star fruit, but he had a feeling that she would like it. Beside him, Trix and her twin sister Catia were also helping themselves to the Star fruit. They were on their break from patrolling the Brazil nut grove as well as being on lookout for any logging activity. Logging had seemed to have dulled recently, to everyone's - especially Roberto's - relief. Roberto's crest feathers spiked as the memories came flooding back. All he could hear was the high-pitched voices of several humans, saying the same thing, over and over again, as he had cowered with fear in a tiny cage, the metal on the bars rough and having several dents from where he had desperately tried to chew them in a failed escape attempt. The voices rang in his ears, still as loud and taunting as if they were speaking right now.

"_Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker?"_ this was followed by laughing, the humans not seeing how distressed he was as they tried to force-feed him the tasteless crackers. Roberto had begged and pleaded, but they didn't understand a parrot talking. Even the desperate looks and loud squawks hadn't seemed to alert them. The place he had been held was a wooden stall in Manaus, by some boats. Roberto's cage had hung from a hook, and kids would stare and poke him, begging their mothers and fathers to allow them to pay some money so that they could pet him. He knew it was Manaus was because an old human had been shouting at passing people, advertising boat trips from Manaus to the Amazon.

Roberto looked at his foot, his claws digging into the branch beneath him. Around his leg, there was a thin metal ring. It was too small to allow him to pull his leg free of it. He had remembered the chain linked to it, which the humans used to stop him flying away whenever they got him out of the tiny cage. The cage had been too small to allow him to spread his wings. Whenever he had backed away from tourists as they reached through the bars, more poked at him as he backed against a cage wall. One time, when his owners had let him out so a child could pet him, they hadn't attached the chain properly to the ring; as they let go of him, the chain had fallen to the floor, slipping through the wooden planks and splashing into the river beneath. His owners had dove toward him, trying to grab him, but Roberto had flown out of reach. That was how he had learned to fly. Sheer desperation had powered his wings, which had been covered in patches of fluffy down. Roberto hadn't been ready for flight, being so young, but he could do it. Badly, but yes. He hadn't thought twice - he had flown straight away from the stall, screeching at the top of his voice, flying so high that the air was cold. Roberto had then flown as far into the Amazon as he could, and only when he was on the brink of collapse had he landed in a tree and passed out from exhaustion.

Roberto had only suffered from the ordeal for a few weeks, from his hatching to when he was just ready to fly, but it had scarred him mentally for the rest of his life. It had destroyed his confidence, until he had been found by Eduardo and the tribe. They had encouraged him, soothed him, and managed to bring his confidence back. Roberto had never told them what had happened to him - what would Eduardo think of him? A _pet? _He would probably throw him out of the tribe. Eduardo had taught him to ways of the wild, which Roberto had excelled at despite his former captivity. When asking about the metal ring by Mimi, Roberto had lied that it was part of a human trap, even though Mimi had never heard of such a trap that involved a small metal ring. Luckily, she and the rest of the tribe had bought his story anyway.

"Hey! Wake up!" only then did Roberto realize that Catia was shaking him and that Trix was clicking her talons in her face. When he turned to them, they sighed in relief. "Thank goodness!" snorted Catia, who had spoken to him. "We thought you'd been frozen!"

Trix fluffed up her feathers, before lifting off the branch. "Anyway - break's over, let's go, day-dreamer." Grabbing another star fruit for Jewel, Roberto began to follow the two, the yellow fruit in one talon. After flying for a few minutes, Trix suddenly gasped. "Get down!" the three dove into the canopy of the trees, hidden by the broad leaves.

"Trix?" Catia blinked. "What is it, sis?" without saying a word, Trix pulled back a few leaves. Roberto moved to the front, the two sisters craning their necks to see over him. His heart dropped to his stomach. The sun glinted on a shiny surface; it was yellow, a harsh, solid yellow unlike the star fruit in Roberto's talons. The surface was made of metal, and it was moving - the machinery rumbled, shaking the earth as it rolled over the soil, churning up mud. The tyres were black but streaked with mud, and smoke puffed from the top of the tree harvester, fading as it drifted into the azure blue sky. Tree stumps scattered in places, but most trees had been torn from their roots and lifted onto the back of some trucks, chains to them. The only greenery was scattered leaves and tiny patches of fern, which were half-crushed by tree harvesters. Hacking away at smaller trees were axes - in the hands of humans. Roberto took a step back, his heart beating so fast that he thought it was going to burst out of his chest. The twins swarmed in front of him to get a better look as Roberto felt nausea flood through him, and he leaned against a tree trunk, sliding down it and shielding his head with his wings. He could almost taste the crackers now. He managed to get a few words out.

"Where are they headed?" he asked quietly, and Trix and Catia didn't turn to look at him.

"Not sure." Catia was frowning as she looked out over the deforested area. "But we have to get back to the tribe, right now. We need to monitor their movements as precisely as possible, and warn Eduardo about this." Roberto quickly stumbled to his feet as they proceeded to turn around, and he stopped trembling.

"_Vamos!"_ Roberto spun around, and flew away as fast as possible, the twin sisters on his tail as they headed for the ravine.


	11. Difficult situations

Felipe raised his wings to silence the cheering tribe. "Thank you, thank you. I really appreciate your support of me. While we continue to grieve over the tragic loss of my father -" _Yeah, you lot will, but I won't. _"I must bring up our first matter of business - my first action on becoming head of the tribe will be to get back our half of the Brazil nut grove." At these words, cries of support and admiration rang out through the tribe's headquarters, which was a large cave that could house the entire tribe. Felipe smiled when Adelaide blew him a kiss, before he went on. "My plan is not a match in the Pit of Doom, where that feather brained idiot Roberto can continue to mock us behind our backs. No, it's going to be a battle." Silence spread throughout the tribe, before there were mutters; a few of doubt, but Felipe was pleased to hear that most were of agreement. "So, who wants to go?" as wings shot up, Felipe chose many strong and swift macaws - size and power was important, but speed was needed to catch their opponents out. Adelaide fluttered up to him.

"Are you sure that this is the best idea?" she asked, worriedly. "There could be many casualties, not just on their side but ours." Felipe brushed her concerns off.

"Of course it's the best idea - a match is ludicrous, and what if we lose for the second time? We can't fail in battle, Adelaide. For one, we're bigger in size then them."

"Yes, but they're fast and can escape injury." She reminded him, eyes full of concern.

"Adie, I'm sorry but this is the only way." He said, but then he saw Adelaide's eyes watering, her lower beak quivering. _Is she going to cry? Honestly! _But a wave of guilt flowed through him, and despite his desperation to sink his claws into Roberto's back, he reluctantly decided to change his decision. "Alright, then. We won't fight them; we'll come up with a little arrangement. We'll talk about this with them sensibly and calmly."

"Oh, Felipe…" Adelaide sighed in relief. "Thank you so much."

"But, I must remind you…" Felipe said warningly. "If they don't agree, there'll have to be a fight."

_Meanwhile_

Jewel looked up at the sight of Roberto. She began to smile, but it faded when she saw the look of worry on his face. "Beto? What's the matter?" his feathers were fluffed up, his pale blue eyes looking hollow and frightened.

"Ju-Ju, where's Eduardo?" Roberto gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"He's at home… why? What happened?" Jewel asked, but her question was answered as Trix and Catia darted past, panting.

"Loggers!" they told her, before heading in the direction of Eduardo's nest. Jewel's eyes widened, and then she noticed that Roberto was crying, his wings thrown over his head. He was trembling so much that his outline was blurred as he shook.

"Hey!" she gasped, rushing to his side. "Calm down, it's alright!" Jewel wrapped her wings around Roberto, and he threw his own around her, weeping heavily. Jewel had never seen him like this, and it was actually frightening her. "I'm here, everything's fine…" she tried to assure him, planting a kiss on his cheek in an attempt to calm him, although he continued to sob, his tears soaking her feathers. Jewel begun to sing a little, in hopes of calming him.

_Don't you worry, I'm right here._

_Don't you blink an eye…_

_Don't you shed a tear,_

_For you'll be fine, as I am right here beside you._

At the gentle sound of Jewel's singing, Roberto's heart slowed a little, and he stopped shaking so much. Jewel wiped away his tears with her wingtips. "Okay now?" she murmured in a gentle tone.

"Yeah." He rasped, sounding hoarse, flattening his crest feathers. "Sorry."

"No need to apologise." Jewel said quietly. "C'mon, let's go find my parents and aunt." Jewel and Roberto flew over to the tree Jewel had hatched in, Roberto still wiping away traces of tears. Inside, Eduardo was bombarding Trix and Catia with questions.

"Where were they?" he demanded, but when Trix and Catia answered, he quickly swept onto the next question. Tia held up her wings at Eduardo to stop him mid-sentence, and Mimi then hopped closer to her younger brother.

"Honestly, don't _interrogate _them, Eduardo! Honestly, get a grip -" Mimi then spotted Jewel and Roberto. "Ola, kids." She said, sounding concerned. Tia then turned to them.

"Roberto, you were with Trix and Catia; is it true that the loggers were going closer to the Aguaje grove?" Jewel thought of Aguaje, a fruit that looked like it was covered in green scales. It was an odd yet nice taste for a fruit.

"Yes." Roberto said glumly. "They've cleared a lot of forest, Mimi. They're not heading this way, I don't think, but we have to be wary. They're rather close."

"We should evacuate…" began Eduardo, but Jewel stopped him from going further.

"What? Dad, they're not heading this way. We should evacuate if they start heading this way, but if not, we stay. There's no harm, is there?" Jewel crossed her wings, and then Mimi nodded in agreement.

"That's my girl. Honestly Eduardo, you're stressing over a little thing. Like Jewel says, there's no harm in watching their progress. We fly faster than their harvesters move, and we'll hear them coming. In the mean time, I recommend more patrols and more awareness around the tribe."

"Excellent suggestion, Mimi." Tia agreed, and then turned to her mate. "She's right, dear. It's the spring, many couples have eggs and young chicks right now; a move would be dangerous." She then stepped closer to him. "Please? For me?" Eduardo hesitated briefly, and then he nodded rather reluctantly.

"Fine. But if they head this way, we're out of here." Eduardo turned, and flew out of the hollow, muttering. Tia and Mimi exchanged worried looks, before turning to Jewel, Roberto, Trix and Catia.

"You four go out." Mimi said, running her beak through her fluffed-up feathers to smooth them. "Go enjoy the sunshine, go water-skiing and eat some Brazil nuts with your friends."


	12. Threats

Eduardo and Tia flew through the rock overhang, where several small waterfalls emptied into the water below it, which lead to the main part of the Amazon River. Vines and plants climbed the rock, some roots from trees spilling over the overhang, into the river. The waterfalls had worn the softer rocks away over the years, leaving the stronger rock to form an overhang, which the waterfalls flowed over from. Usually rock overhangs in waterfalls collapsed without the support from beneath, but this one wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Tia swerved around a fall, twirling as she did, before flying upside-down beside her mate. It had been a few weeks since Roberto, Catia and Trix had seen the loggers, but the logging activity had decreased, heading away from the ravine. This had calmed down the stressed Eduardo and Roberto, but the two were still edgy. Tia didn't know why Roberto was so frightened - he did _claim _that he'd been caught in a trap before, the metal ring on his leg a souvenir of the ordeal. But that wasn't really the kind of experience that would give a complete personality change whenever humans were around. He said that he had escaped, but now Tia was beginning to doubt his story of a 'trap'. A metal ring was an odd thing to put in a human trap, and how did he fit his talon through the ring in the first place?

Tia and Eduardo were headed for the strawberry guava grove, one that was close to the Brazil nut grove. There was no competition for strawberry guavas with the Scarlet macaws, since they had one of their own, on the other side of their territory. They flew over the Brazil nut trees until they spotted the ones that had strawberry guavas. The pair flew down, landing on a branch. But as Tia reached for a strawberry guava, there was a loud, high-pitched squawk.

"Well, if it isn't old Eddie and the missus!" chortled Felipe. Eduardo began to open his wings, but Tia put her wing in front of him to stop him leaping at the young Scarlet.

"Hello, Felipe." She said coolly. "Aren't you supposed to be in your side?"

"Yes, but this is important." Felipe said, and then Eduardo pushed Tia's wing away, seething as he glared at Felipe.

"Another message from Rojo? What does _the ancient one_ want this time?" Eduardo crossed his wings, and glowered at Felipe.

"He's dead." Said Felipe flatly, and Eduardo's beak snapped shut. Tia and Eduardo exchanged shocked looks. Both were asking the same question in their minds. _How and when? _Tia opened her beak to ask a question, but Felipe swept on, showing little grief for his father. "And now that I'm leader, I want our part of the Brazil nut grove back." There was a long, awkward silence. The familiar look of stubbornness and anger entered Eduardo's pale green eyes, replacing the shock at the news of Rojo's demise.

"We won the grove, _fair and square_." He said, saying each word slowly as if speaking to a small and rather stupid chick. "We own the entire grove now. You want it back? Tough. You'll have to find alternative food sources. Don't you lot have that grove of camu-camu fruit?" Camu-camu was a fruit that was small but rich in vitamin C, and the Scarlet macaws had a large grove of it in the midst of their territory. The Spix's tribe could find it outside their territory, but none as plentiful in that one place inaccessible to them.

"That's true." Said Felipe. "But c'mon, old Eddie - _Brazil nuts?_ They're, well - good. I prefer them over the camu-camu. If you don't give our side back, we'll have to do something." He said a little lazily, running his beak through his primary feathers. "And I don't mean a petty match in the Pit of Doom."

"You wouldn't." Tia stepped forward threatenly, tempted herself to claw the look of satisfaction off Felipe's face. An image of torn feathers and blood entered her mind, and she felt sick to her stomach.

"Oh, but I would, Mrs Eddie." Felipe grinned at her sweetly, and Eduardo's feathers were so fluffed up that he looked twice his normal size. "Desperate times call for desperate measures." But as Eduardo threw out his wings to throw himself at the Scarlet, Felipe raised a wing. "Look." He said, quieter this time. "Adelaide doesn't want a fight, and it was difficult for me to change my mind. The original plan was an attack, but she convinced me to talk to you all first. I don't want to hurt her feelings."

Tia and Eduardo looked at each other. "You want to talk?" Tia raised a 'brow'. _Fat chance! Felipe wants to talk peacefully? There's a better chance of River Dolphins growing wings!_

"Yes." Answered Felipe. "In a calm and sensible manner. I'm bringing my tribe, so you should bring yours."

"You think we're going to fall for that?" barked Eduardo. "You'll attack us!"

"No we won't." said Felipe. "I'm bringing mine so you won't attack _us._ As long as you don't refuse our request, which we have voiced politely and calmly." Tia narrowed her eyes at him, and looked at Eduardo, who muttered under his breath before speaking.

"Name the time and place."

"Three days time." Felipe replied. "When the sun is about to set. We'll meet on in the Walking Palm trees grove. Be there, or there will be consequences, I can promise you that." There was a flutter of wings, a rustle of feathers, and then Felipe was gone, a red, yellow and blue streak vanishing into the trees. Eduardo let out a sudden squawk of rage, and Tia jumped out of her skin.

"How dare he! The _audacity! _He has no right! I'll kill him, I'll take that what's-her-name and claw her before his eyes -" Eduardo was crimson beneath his blue plumage, and ignored Tia's attempts to calm him. He continued, exploding with rage as Tia cowered beside him.

"Eduardo!" she screeched, shaking him angrily. "You don't mean that! You're just upset -"

"_Upset?" _Eduardo's face was swollen from how out of breath he was from ranting, but he carried on. "I'm _furious! Vamos, _let's get back to the tribe right now this instant!" as Eduardo rocketed away in direction of the ravine, Tia groaned to herself.

"He's going to explode if he gets any angrier one day." She muttered beneath her breath, before following him. "Inner calm, dear, inner calm!" she yelled after him.


	13. Arrangements

"I spy, with my little eye…" Jewel began, gazing up at the azure sky through the branches of Roberto's home. The two lay on their backs on a branch, staring up at the sky. They had been playing a game. At first, they had been pointing out shapes the clouds were making; Jewel had spotted that one looked like a capybara, and Roberto saw one that looked a little like a music note, but they had changed it to 'I spy' when there were hardly any clouds about. "…something beginning with 'T'."

Roberto thought, looking around. "Tree?"

"No."

"Tia?"

"My mom's nowhere in sight."

"Ugh…"

"Give up?"

"Uh… fine. Yeah, Ju-Ju."

"Toucan."

"Where?"

"Flying up there." Jewel pointed upwards with her wingtip, and Roberto could just make out a flock of Keel-Billed Toucans, their bills bright in the sun.

"Oh, I see. I spy… something pink."

"That flower in your nest."

"Why are you so good at this game, Ju-Ju?" as the two continued playing 'I spy', Mimi sat in her usual place; slouched against a rock, snoring, two flowers covering her eyes. She always did that; she had done the same thing when she had over-exhausted herself when they won the entire Brazil nut grove. Mimi then sat up, her feathers ruffled from sleep, as Eduardo landed beside her, Tia at his side.

"I'll wake up in a sec…" Mimi stretched out her wings, the flowers falling off as she did, and she stretched her light gray beak in an enormous yawn before rubbing her lavender-tinted blue eyelids. Blinking in a daze at her younger brother and sister-in-law, she smiled. "Hey… what's up?"

"I'll tell you _what's up."_ Said Eduardo, slowly. "Rojo's dead and Felipe wants the Scarlet's part of the grove back."

Mimi yawned again. "Who's Phillip? Oh! Oh… you mean _Felipe… _sorry, my hearing's funny when I wake up - say _what?"_ Mimi was suddenly wide awake as she realized what Eduardo had said. "Why?"

"It's a peaceful talk in three days at sunset, or a fight." Said Tia quietly. "He's bringing his entire tribe, and says that we should bring ours too. He says that it's so 'we won't attack them'."

"That's ludicrous!" Mimi threw her wings into the air. "Honestly, does he think we're plain _stupid?"_

"Unfortunately yes." Hissed Eduardo, talons digging into the Amazon soil. "Where's my daughter and Roberto?"

"Last time I saw them, they were playing some game where they made shapes out of clouds. That was an hour ago, at Roberto's nest…" within half a minute, Eduardo, Tia and Mimi had flown over to the immense tree that served as Roberto's home.

"Roberto? Jewel?" Tia called as she hopped into the tree's entrance, quickly followed by Eduardo and Mimi. They eventually found the duo on a tree branch, playing 'I spy'.

"I spy… Mimi?"

"You're not supposed to say the thing you spy, Beto…" Jewel said, but then she followed Roberto's gaze. "Hi, Aunt Mimi!" Jewel then noticed her mother and father behind her aunt. "And mom, dad… everything alright?"

"No." said Eduardo. "It's the Scarlet tribe."

"What have they done now?" Roberto sighed, crossing his wings. "Is it -"

"Yes, it's Felipe." Tia confirmed. "He's threatened us with a fight, over the Brazil nut grove."

"A fight?" Jewel's eyes became very round, and Roberto's crest feathers spiked out. "Is he _serious?"_

"Sadly, yes." Mimi's eyes were sombre. "But luckily, his girlfriend has convinced him into talking with us first. Guess Adelaide did us a favour."

"What if Felipe was lying?" Eduardo snapped, beak clenched. "No wonder he's asked us to bring our entire tribe. He wants a battle."

"Stop jumping to conclusions, for once." Mimi held up a wing. "I recommend that we notify the tribe, teach a few battle moves; prepare the tribe in case that he really does intend to battle it out. A few should say here, such as the old, the chicks, the mothers - but they should go in the meeting cave. Behind the waterfall, where they're hidden from unwelcome attention. No one except our tribe knows about the secret cave, so it's an excellent choice."

"You think they'll launch an attack here?" Roberto asked in a serious tone. "I must say, I agree with you. Just to be safe; I'll gather some macaws to get some food, some bedding, so that no one will have to leave the cave at any point."

"Good idea." Said Eduardo, slapping his wing on the younger macaw's shoulder. "That's my wingman. Jewel, you're going with Roberto." He turned to the other macaws. "Before, however, we'll notify the tribe."

_Later_

Screeches and mutters of rage spread through the tribe like wildfire; three seconds of shocked silence, to be precise. Jewel found herself flinching at the angry cries, which were so loud that she rubbed her ears painfully.

"Quiet down!" Eduardo squawked, and after some assistance from Roberto, the tribe's noise level dropped to a bitter silence. "I appreciate your concerns, and I need to tell you the plan. The strongest and swiftest of the tribe will accompany us, while the old, injured, young and other vulnerable members will stay in the cave behind the waterfall - that includes you." Eduardo said to Glauco, who had opened his chipped beak to protest. He looked over to the worried mother macaws, who had their wings around little ones. Some females, unable to fly over with a nest of eggs to sit on, were sticking their heads out of their hollows. "Mothers will also stay, for your young one's peace of mind as well as your own." Sighs and murmurs of relief spread through the female macaws with a clutch of eggs or brood of young chicks. Manuela looked down at Adão, her little brother, who would also be staying because of his age. Eduardo then spoke again. "Finally, I must request that nobody speaks a word to any other birds of our hiding place; I'm not taking any chances."


	14. Always

Jewel carried an egg in both talons, being closely watched by Jacinta, the hawk-eyed mother of the chick-to-be. Jacinta carried another one of her eggs, and below both of them, two macaws flew to make sure that the eggs didn't fall into the plunge pool below, should they be accidently dropped. Jewel and Jacinta flew behind the waterfall, keeping clear of the falling water, and then they flew into the cave.

The roof and walls were solid stone, and the cave went into the rock for several metres until it ended. A pile of food lay near the back of the cave, a mixture of fruit and nuts, including Brazil nuts. Water ran in several small crevices in the floor, and on the edges of the cave, against the walls, there was nesting. The nests were closer to the back of the cave, where it was dryer from the spray of the waterfall. The nests consisted of mostly feathers and moss. Jewel gently placed the egg she was holding into Jacinta's nest, who gave her a grateful nod before putting the egg she had beside it. As Jacinta began plucking a few downy feathers from her chest, Jewel turned and flew back outside.

"Ju-Ju, you okay to carry a chick?" Roberto asked.

"Absolutely." Jewel replied.

"Hope I have kids someday." Said Roberto in a wistful voice, and Jewel smiled.

"Course you will. Any chick would be lucky to have you as their father." _Hope I have kids someday too. _Jewel then flew over to a mother who had a chick that had not yet learned to fly, asking if she needed assistance. The mother nodded, and Jewel carried the chick for her. Jewel couldn't wait to have a family of her own – a loving mate, an adorable little brood of chicks, with her parents and aunt there besides her, supporting her and her new family members. Jewel could picture Roberto there too; but she didn't see him as the father. Her feelings for him weren't that strong, their relationship… it wasn't really serious. Maybe Roberto would just be her chicks's 'Uncle Beto'.

But who would be her mate? Jewel couldn't picture anyone in the tribe being her mate, if it wouldn't be Roberto. Carlos seemed taken with Manuela, and Jewel didn't have interest in him anyway. Tobias was with Isabella, most of the other males weren't really all too memorable; none of them took her interest, really. _You have plenty of time to think about a mate; forget about it for the time being._

"Jewel!" called a voice as soon as Jewel had returned from transporting the chick. Turning, Jewel spotted her father, and flew over to him.

"Yes, dad?"

"Do you think that you'll be alright, if you have to fight?" Eduardo asked, looking both worried and serious. He was worried for his daughter; his gut was telling him that something terrible was going to happen tomorrow; the 'talk' was one day away. Tia had tried to tell him that he was thinking nonsense, but Eduardo wasn't comforted. When they were chicks, his father had told him and Mimi that 'gut-feelings don't lie', and Eduardo had always remembered it.

"Sure I will." Jewel shrugged, and then, seeing the worry in her father's eyes, threw her wings around him.

"You won't be fighting, by the way." Said Eduardo. "You're too young. If it comes to a fight, get away from the battle as soon as possible, alright? You're my only child, and I want you to be safe."

"Yeah, I will." Jewel said, nodding. "Mom probably wants the same thing."

"Hey, Jewel!" shouted a voice, and Jewel looked over her shoulder seeing Mimi on the other side of the plunge pool. "Care to help me with carrying this bag of Brazil nuts? They're heavy, for one to carry!"

"Sure, Aunt Mimi!" Jewel replied, and then she hugged her father again. "Everything's going to fine, Dad, I promise." As Jewel went over to her aunt, Eduardo sighed.

"Wish I could believe you." He murmured beneath his breath. Even if there wasn't a fight, not everyone was going to be happy by the end of the meeting.

_Later_

Roberto stood on a branch, a wing around the sleeping Jewel. This was the last night before the meeting, and Jewel had come to sleep in his nest tonight. He looked down at her, before looking up at the moon. Eduardo had spoken to him earlier, telling him about a bad feeling he had. Roberto could tell that he was worried about Jewel, and it was starting to worry him too. He wasn't going to lose her; at least he hoped not. Roberto looked down at Jewel again, wondering what life would be like without her. She was his best friend, and he cared about her deeply; more than he had for anyone.

"_I'd fly so many miles for you..." _he sang quietly, quietly enough so that Jewel wasn't disturbed from her sleep. _"I'd rather have one wing then know that you weren't safe..." _his voice died away_ you. "I'd go through so much pain, and_," and then he whispered another verse. _"If you don't feel for me like I feel for you, I'd still be there for you."_

It was true. If Jewel didn't love him in the way he loved her, he would still do anything for her. Should she get a mate, he would do his best to be supportive of them both. _I don't care whether she loves me back. I just want her to be happy._


	15. The falling tree

Jewel flew behind her mother, father and aunt. On her right, flew Roberto, and all around them swarmed the tribe. Jewel's talons knotted together as she flew, and she trembled slightly with nerves. The sun wasn't far from setting, and the edge of the sky was getting an amber tint from the earliest trace of sunset. The sun was close to touching the edge of the treetops. Around fifteen or twenty minutes would be spent waiting for the Scarlet macaw tribe and their new leader. Jewel's heart was fluttering like a hummingbird's wings, and then Roberto looked at her.

"It's okay, Ju-Ju." He murmured, brushing his wing against hers.

Soon, they made it to the Walking Palm grove, where there were two large boulders, facing one another. This was where the leaders and their family would stand. The tribe would perch in the low branches of the Walking Palm trees, watching. Eduardo landed on a boulder, and the tribe gathered behind. Jewel, Tia, Mimi and Roberto stood on the boulder with him; Tia was at her mate's side, her left talon holding Eduardo's right one. Jewel shuffled her feet, and her breathing was fast and uneven. Tia looked at Jewel, and, seeing her fear, reached out with a wing, touching her shoulder. At her mother's touch, Jewel's racing heart slowed a little.

"Everything's going to be fine." She assured her, turquoise eyes full of love at she gazed at her daughter. The colour matched Jewel's perfectly, although Tia had the smallest dash of hazel in her left eye. Jewel had never noticed it before, until now. "Afterwards, we'll all go out to the strawberry guava grove. Sound good?"

"Sounds great, mom." Jewel said, and then Tia pressed her beak to her forehead, before turning back to face the other boulder. A little serenity spread over Jewel, and her fluffed-up feathers smoothed a bit. Roberto and Mimi both put a wing over her, and then silence spread through the whispering tribe as the sound of wings approached.

Red forms with yellow, blue and green wings melted out of the shadows. All their eyes were mere slits are they glared across the clearing at the Spix's macaws. Last to appear was Felipe. He stood alone on the boulder, although Jewel could see Adelaide perched on a nearby branch, looking both afraid and nervous. But her brown eyes were full of spite as she glowered at them.

"Felipe." Eduardo nodded, his voice tense.

"Eduardo." Felipe nodded back. "So nice of you all to join us here. How thoughtful."

"Stop wasting breath and get on with it." Snapped Mimi, and Felipe inhaled, before speaking again.

"So, may we have our part of the Brazil nut grove back?" there was a long moment of silence, before Eduardo replied.

"What do we get in return?" Eduardo challenged. Felipe's green eyes flashed; he clearly hadn't expected giving something in return. He looked around, and several Scarlet macaws muttered suggestions, until he came up with one of his own.

"A share of our camu-camu grove." Felipe replied a little reluctantly, and murmuring swept through both tribes. Murmurs of protest and anger from the Scarlet macaw tribe, and of doubt and confusion from the Spix's. The camu-camu grove was deep within the Scarlet territory; too far for most of their liking. It was actually right next to their tribe camp.

"We don't want it." Eduardo said slowly. The look of confidence on Felipe's face vanished, and he looked as if he had suddenly been slapped.

"My final offer." Felipe warned.

"No." Eduardo rasped. There was a long, tense moment. Macaw glared at macaw. Roberto and Felipe stared at each other, Jewel and Adelaide stared at one another. Then squawking rang out from both tribes. Macaws screeched at one another, and Jewel's ears suddenly began to hurt.

"_You blue-feathered, ungrateful -"_

"_Red-feathered, selfish fiends -"_

"_How can you even call yourself macaws -" _

Then all the macaws threw out their wings. Eduardo swept Jewel under his wing as she lifted her own ones, clearly to stop her flinging herself into a fight. Roberto suddenly squawked as Felipe threw himself into the air, diving toward him. Roberto leapt up to meet him, and then blue and red feathers flew through the air. Their talons were wrapped around each other's necks, their beaks snapping wildly to tear out feathers. Roberto and Felipe were a mere blur of blue, red, yellow and green.

It was then that Sophia heard something. A distant, unnatural sound. It was a beeping, repeating over and over, and the sound of splintering wood, barely audible from the distance. Birds cried out, and there was a roar from a jaguar. _Beep. Beep. Beep. _No one had noticed it except her.

"Shut up!" she screeched. When she got no notice, Sophia flew into the middle of the clearing, tore the brawling Roberto and Felipe apart, and began screaming at the top of her voice. _"Shut up!"_ the squawks died away, and then everyone heard it. The beeping. _Beep. Beep._

"Tree harvesters!" cried Azalea, the Scarlet macaw scorekeeper. "Loggers!" But the loggers weren't the danger. As the sound of tree harvesters and human voices faded, something else was happening. Smoke. Thick, brown smoke, hanging over the trees, drowning the sky from view. The smell of it, and the humid feel in the air. And then a sound. So close, no one had noticed it over the shouting. Several sounds, all happening at once. Snapping twigs, leaves crackling. There had been no rain in weeks, so the rainforest was parched. The plants were dry, and dry made things easier to burn. _Burning._ Jewel looked in the trees, and saw an amber flickering. It was eerily close; too close. Then it was all around them, creeping into the surrounding treeline.

"FIRE!" screamed someone. Havoc erupted as blue and red streaks filled the air, and Jewel was swept out from under Eduardo's wing, to the ground. Then, there was a groaning. It filled the entire hollow, and all eyes turned to the direction. A flaming tree - heavy, tall -came crashing to the ground, toward Eduardo, Tia, and Mimi. They screeched. Mimi dove to the right, Eduardo dove to the left, but Tia was transfixed. Her life flashed before her. As the tree landed, crashing onto the rock, it was that moment that Tia screamed.


	16. Before I Go

Jewel opened her eyes, and looked around, dazed. Her head had crashed against a rock, stunning her. A bead of blood trickled down the side of her head from a small cut. Jewel stood, leaning against a rock, breathing heavily. Then her throat became tight, and it felt as if it was being stretched. Smoke poured into her lungs, and Jewel coughed. Clutching her chest, Jewel began to stumble across the clearing. She looked around. The tribe was nowhere in sight - Eduardo, Tia, Mimi, Roberto - no one.

Jewel didn't see Eduardo and Mimi, invisible behind the fallen tree. Out of Jewel's hearing, Eduardo crumpled into his older sister's wings, weeping, and Mimi was sobbing quietly, tears falling down her cheeks. Tia was cradled in both their wings, her eyes blank and staring into the sky. Her spine jutted harshly through the skin of her back, smeared with blood. Behind them, Roberto's wings were clasped over his beak as he took in the scene, horrified. None of them saw Jewel stagger into the bushes, and she didn't see them from the blood in her eyes. The blood was trickling from the cut in her head, half-blinding her as it dripped into her vision. After some stumbling, Jewel crumpled into a puddle, and the blood cleared from her eyes, only to be replaced by muddy water.

"Mom, Dad…" she croaked hoarsely. "Mimi, Roberto…" No reply. She was completely alone. The fire raged in the trees around her, the fire leaping from each tree. Jewel then looked up, and, squinting, saw a light. Amber, flickering. And falling toward her. Gasping, Jewel leapt out of the way as flaming branches crashed to the ground, where she had been standing. _I have to get out of here. _Something hot dropped onto the back of her neck, and Jewel cried out as the cinders burned her neck feathers. Jewel suddenly found the power to flap her wings. She rose, stirring ash beneath her, and she began to fly for her life.

Crown fire was happening above her, where the tops of trees caught fire and leapt to another one. A vacuum of air in crown fire would drag you upwards, toward the flames, and Jewel felt a draft tugging at her, drawing her upwards. Folding her wings to escape the air vacuum, Jewel pulled out of the dive and began to fly as low to the ground as she dared. She couldn't fly up and out of the flaming rainforest, where the crown fire would catch her.

Jewel swerved around tree trunks, ducked beneath branches. Jewel had found herself in the Brazil nut grove, which was alive with flames._ Home. _She had to get to the gorge, where there was water. But then there was an ear-shattering shriek. Claws dug into Jewel's back, driving the breath out of her. Jewel was thrown to the ground, and she was pinned on her back. Jewel found herself staring into the wild brown eyes of Adelaide. "You!" she gasped. "Adelaide, please! Let me go!" despite Jewel's pleas, Adelaide's claws only sank deeper into her neck.

"Never!" she snapped, glaring down at her. "This is all_ your_ fault. Hear me? If you had never been a little thief, we would not be here. My mother would still be alive, and Felipe would still love me!" Adelaide was speaking in a very fast, high-pitched voice. Jewel took in this information, bewildered. _Her mother is dead? Did she die in the fire? What does she mean, 'Felipe would still love her?' What did I steal? _But Jewel knew she had little time to think, with the fire edging closer and Adelaide's talons getting closer to her windpipe.

"What do you, mean thief?" Jewel asked. "I didn't steal anything - and how is this _my _fault?"

"You know exactly what I mean, kid." Snarled Adelaide. "You stole a stupid nut from our side. That provoked Rojo, he made the Pit of Doom match and lost it, that made Felipe arrange a battle, thus the meeting, and now we're about to burn to death because of what you did. You won't burn, because I'm going to kill you." Adelaide spoke very quickly, and the last sentence was more normal.

"What?" Jewel spluttered, trying and failing to get away from Adelaide. "I didn't do anything!"

"Oh, very funny." Adelaide said, in a voice that was heavy with sarcasm. "Trying to lie? It won't work, because we all know what you did."

"I'm not lying!" Jewel insisted. "It was an accident – I didn't see where I was going, and before I knew it, that old guy had my throat." Adelaide blinked at her, and Jewel frowned as she saw how confused Adelaide looked.

"What…?" she asked in a confused, bewildered voice. "He… he told us that you were stealing. That you're the cause of… all of _this."_

"_No, _I'm not!" Jewel retorted in a fierce voice. "He twisted a simple mistake into getting a piece of land. He attacked a chick, just for a chance to gain more territory. Can't you see that I'm telling the truth? You knew him better than I did, you must realize what he's like!" she began to beg, hoping that Adelaide would believe what was the truth. _I'm not dying like this! Not for something I didn't do! _Jewel would fight her way out of this, if Adelaide refused to believe her. But she was in for a shock when Adelaide's grip on her vanished.

"Alright." She murmured softly, taking a step back and allowing Jewel to move. "I believe you." Jewel sighed, relieved, before sitting up and rising to her feet. But just then, they heard the sound of breaking wood. When they looked up, they saw it, aiming for Jewel. Every instinct was screaming at her to move, but she was fixated, paralysed with fear. "Jewel!" spluttered Adelaide_. "Move it!"_ Adelaide threw herself toward Jewel to move her out of the way, but as Jewel was thrown clear, the branches crashed to the ground. Jewel sat up, coughing as ash filled her beak, but then she gasped.

"Adelaide!" she ran forward, rummaging through the pile of branches, praying desperately. But her hope vanished when she found Adelaide. The young Scarlet macaw opened her eyes, staring at Jewel in an agonized gaze. Blood streaked through her feathers, near invisible on the crimson plumage. Jewel threw herself forward, wrapping her talons around Adelaide and pulling with all her might, but there was no effect. The branches were too heavy, too large for Adelaide to be freed. Jewel's wing then flew to her beak in horror as Adelaide moved her wing, revealing an enormous shard of wood; embedded in her upper stomach, which was just before the pile of branches.

"No…" Jewel whispered, staggering. "It… it's okay. I'll take it out… you'll be fine… just fine…" but Jewel knew in her heart that Adelaide's injuries were beyond healing. A tear fell from the corner of Adelaide's eyes.

"Don't leave me alone." Adelaide choked, reached up with a trembling wing. Jewel cradled her head, clinging onto her raised wing.

"Of course not." Jewel whispered fiercely. The tears were falling down both their faces as they realized; Adelaide was dying. They were teenagers. Only some months old, not even a year. She couldn't believe what Adelaide had done; her attempt to save Jewel had cost her life. "I… I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have saved me…" she whispered. Adelaide's eyes fluttered shut, and her breathing became rapid and shallow.

"Don't. It was worth saving a innocent life, I couldn't let you be crushed…" Adelaide paused before going on. "I've got nothing to live for, anyway." Jewel frowned; nothing to live for? Adelaide's mother was dead, but then, what about Felipe and Azalea, Adelaide's cousin? But then she reconsidered. Adelaide had mentioned earlier that 'Felipe would still love her', suggesting that they had broken up. Jewel would have expected Adelaide and Felipe alongside each other in the confrontation, but they hadn't been. Jewel had a feeling that the two had been very much in love, but they had been fairly far apart. Had they had a fight? "And I… couldn't just let the branches crush you." Adelaide continued.

There was silence, until Adelaide spoke again. "Can… can you sing?" she whispered, desperately. "I… I need to hear something beautiful before I go…" Jewel's eyes glazed with pain, and a song came to her. A lullaby that her mother had sung to her as a chick; Jewel had heard many lullabies from Tia, including one called 'Don't Go Away'; but this one was one of her favourites. Jewel cleared her throat, and began to sing. The lyrics were about love - one that Tia had sung to her, when she was very young. Jewel had woken from a nightmare, of being chased by an anaconda, and had been unable to get back to sleep. The lyrics spoke of hope and safety, and made her feel loved. It had eventually lulled her back to sleep, and her dreams afterwards had been empty of snakes.

As Jewel finished the final verse, Adelaide became still in her wings. Her chest stopped moving with each breath. Jewel stared at the body of the young macaw cradled in her wings. Jewel's beak quivered, and then a sob escaped her throat. She looked around, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry." She sobbed, trembling. "I'm sorry, Adelaide…" Jewel didn't see or hear anything else. She could only hear silence, see Adelaide's lifeless form. Inside, she crumbled to pieces. Her wings flew up to her face, and she wept, crumpled over Adelaide, rocking on the spot with her wings clasped around her head. She was crying, wailing, and screaming. If only she had moved out of the way instead of been frozen with fear - Adelaide would still be alive, her gentle brown eyes still bright with life.

This was Jewel's fault. _It's my fault she's dead! This is worse than causing war between two tribes! _After what felt like hours, Jewel suddenly remembered home. The water. She looked around; the flames in the grove were fading. She felt a shoot of agony as she looked back at Adelaide; what if her body was never found?

Felipe would never know what happened to her. But then she saw a large, white flower. It would be noticeable. Someone would see it, return her to her tribe, and give Adelaide a proper burial. Jewel reached over, plucking the flower, and put it in Adelaide's wings, hiding the fatal wound. "Good-bye." Jewel whispered, before turning and fleeing, not wanting to be in the presence of the body a second longer. She flew so fast, it was only a matter of minutes until she was flying through the ravine that lead to the gorge. But when she reached her birthplace, her home, Jewel's world came crashing down.

Every tree was on fire. The plunge pool was amber, reflecting the flames. No one was in sight. She forgot about the cave behind the waterfall. She forgot about the fact that her tribe was still in the jungle, and not here. _They're dead. All dead… am I the only survivor? My friends, aunt, father… my mother! They're gone - first Adelaide, and now them too? _Jewel's world spun, and she knew that the smoke had become too much, and that she was going to pass out.

She began to fall, toward the water below; she would welcome death. There was no one left she loved; she wasn't afraid of the cloak of darkness waiting for her. But as she splashed into the water, Jewel suddenly felt something nudge her side, dipping under one of her wings. She floundered briefly, before reaching, wrapping her wing around the object; a bit of driftwood, bobbing in the water. Pieces of tree floated all around her, and she found herself clinging on, digging in her talons as she drifted away from the ravine, toward the stream that led to the main river. Jewel was about to faint; not die, but faint. _I'm not afraid. _

Darkness.

_One day later_

Eduardo stood like a blue statue. Mimi and Roberto stood behind him, silent tears falling down their cheeks. Eduardo and Felipe stared at one another. Felipe's cheeks were wet and his eyes were red from crying; he was a quivering wreck. Eduardo wasn't moving, but he was as still as stone. He had heavy eye bags, his feathers dull, and he looked many years older. "Have the grove." whispered Eduardo.

"I don't want it." Felipe replied, his voice cracking into a sob. "Adelaide died there. I don't want it."

"Tough." Rasped Eduardo. "It's where Jewel vanished. She can only be dead, and I don't want a piece of territory that was the death place of my daughter. Good-bye, Felipe." Without another word, the macaws turned, and went their separate ways.


	17. Talking to the Moon

A few months had passed since the fire. Luckily, there had been few fatalities, other than Tia, Adelaide, Sol, Asa, Abel, one of Roberto's first friends, Jasper, and Jewel. The fire had not reached the waterfall cave, so no one who had stayed at the ravine was injured. The devastation had been terrible; every tree scorched and charred black, every little plant burned to the ground. Eduardo now barely showed his face in the tribe, mostly staying in his hollow, clutching two feathers - one from Tia and one from Jewel. Every night, he had been crumpled in his nest, weeping, not allowing anyone to come into the hollow.

A feather of Jewel had been found close to Adelaide's body, so it was assumed that she was dead, since no trace of her had been found elsewhere in the scorched rainforest. Mimi too was still grieving over her sister-in-law and niece, although she showed her face more often than Eduardo nowadays. The forest in the ravine had begun to grow back, as had the surrounding forest. Now, most of the forest had healed; the plants had re-grown, leaves had sprouted in the trees, the Brazil nut grove was mostly back to how it had been before.

At the foot of Eduardo's tree, there was now a mound of earth. Flowers had begun to grow over it, blossoming and beautiful shades of pink and lilac, Tia's favourite colours. Picked flowers also lay at the end of the grave, exotic and beautiful. The mound was green from moss, the softest imaginable. At the funeral, every macaw had given a flower petal, the tradition in the tribes - every tribe member had found a flower petal and placed it on Tia's grave until the earth was invisible under a sea of multi-coloured petals.

In one of the ravine's most magnificent trees, a dark blue form lay on his back, gazing at the star-studded sky through the branches. The flowers and climbing plants that had decorated his walls had grown back. His crest feathers had also grown back, after some being singed and one having been torn out by Felipe. Roberto and Felipe had been the ones to discover Adelaide and Jewel's feather, and Roberto had helped Felipe carry the dead Adelaide back to her tribe. They had set their differences aside and had taken Adelaide home, where she belonged. Felipe had been a wreck, trembling and wailing like a chick when he had seen her body. Roberto had searched and searched, but he hadn't found Jewel's body. He missed her. Ju-Ju. His best friend, who he had loved so much, treasured more than anyone. Roberto refused to believe that she was dead, despite what the tribe thought. Roberto now sung to himself, eyes fixed on the round moon. (yes, this is 'Talking to the Moon' by none other than Bruno Mars)

_I know you're somewhere out there,_

_Somewhere far away…_

_I want you back…_

_I want you back._

_My neighbours think I'm crazy,_

_But they don't understand. _

_At night when the stars light up my room…_

_I sit by myself talking to the moon -_

_ Can you hear me calling?_

Roberto suddenly leapt to his feet, throwing out his wings and singing his heart out, not caring as voices mumbled as they were disturbed in their sleep.

_Every night I'm talking to the moon -_

_Still trying to get to you…_

_In hopes you're on the other side,_

_Talking to me too,_

_Or am I a fool…_

_Who sits alone…_

_Talking to the moon?_

Roberto then folded in his wings, and gazed into the plunge pool, watching his reflection. The last verses were quieter, and more sombre.

_I know you're somewhere out there…_

_Somewhere, far away…_

Roberto's voice died away, and a sob rose in his throat. Clamping his beak shut, Roberto drew a wing over his tearful eyes before going back into his nest and crumpling into it. In a nearby tree, Mimi slumped against the wall of the tree trunk, eyes dull and her wings wrapped around her plump body. She had been listened to his song. "I hope so too." She whispered, before closing her eyes, a tear running down one of her cheeks. "Tia, please… if Jewel is alive… I don't care if she comes back tomorrow or in sixteen years. Just bring her back to us, where she belongs."


	18. Fourteen years later

_Fourteen years later_

When Jewel had awoken from the fateful night, she had found herself on the banks of Manaus. She had travelled across Brazil, over Manaus and several other cities, until she had reached central Brazil, where there was an area of rainforest. For thirteen years - Jewel had spent one year travelling over South America, seeing more sights than any Spix's macaw had seen before - Jewel had lived here, hiding from humans. She had developed spite toward all humans, and even strangers - she had grown angry and suspicious toward anyone she didn't know, so Jewel was mostly avoided by the locals. None of them were Spix's macaws - toucans, other macaws, hummingbirds, and many other species. Now, Jewel slept with her head tucked beneath her wing. Jewel didn't want to go back to the Amazon; to return to her family and tribe only to find them dead, home burned to the ground, the memory of Adelaide's body. For several years, Jewel had been tortured in her dreams. She saw her parents, aunt and friends -including Roberto - lying dead, bodies charred and black. She saw Adelaide's pain-filled eyes, heard screeches of agony, and seen smoke and a burning forest. Loggers had crushed the rainforest, their machines sending smoke into the air. Only recently had the nightmares begun to fade.

In her dream, Jewel was having the best dream she had had in so many years. She was playing with Roberto. Water-skiing, throwing themselves on the Giant Amazon water lilies, as Eduardo, Tia and Mimi looked on, smiling. Carlos, Sophia and Manuela were cheering them on, a fully grown Adao cheering beside his older sister. Chicks darted around in the air, squealing with delight as their proud mothers looked on. Fruit grew ripe in the sun, their skins bright, and Brazil nuts hung from branches. River dolphins leapt in and out of the river, which was clean and clear. No boats floated over the Amazon, and the cloudless sky was a shade of maya blue, the sun shining. Jewel then saw smoke, but in her dream, she pinched her wing, and then she awoke in the solitary rainforest. Tears sprung to her eyes. Whenever there was smoke in her dreams, she had learned to pinch her wing in order to wake up, before loggers or fire ruined her dream. Drawing a wing harshly across her turquoise eyes, Jewel occupied herself by preening her silky feathers before the familiar river of tears started.

Jewel's head then snapped up. An acrid smell suddenly filled the air, and she heard the sound of machinery. It wasn't heavy machinery, but it was still some sort of human vehicle. Ducking behind some leaves, Jewel peered out. Along a dirt road, a yellow jeep slowed to a stop, very close. She didn't dare to move as the doors opened. On the doors, there was a circle with the silhouette of a toucan on it. Jewel stiffened as a human came into view. He wore a strange thing on his face; rectangles of transparent glass covered his eyes, with sticks that went above his ears to keep it in place. He had tanned skin, and was talking to someone in the jeep.

"_The macaw was here, they say?"_

"_That's right, Tulio – apparently they spotted her in the trees not far from this spot. They think it's a her, anyway."_

"_If that's true, the species could be saved, should we catch her. I heard about that male in Moose Lake, Minnesota, living with a librarian. If the macaw here is indeed a female, we'll need to go to Minnesota and persuade his owner to bring him here to meet her. Hopefully, they will mate and the species will be saved." _Jewel didn't understand. What was 'Moose Lake, Minnesota'? What was a 'Librarian'?

Jewel suddenly heard a hissing, and she spun round. Right next to her, a snake reared up, fangs flashing in the sun. Squawking, Jewel stumbled backwards, and the branch vanished beneath her. Her squawks suddenly caught the attention of the humans, and 'Tulio' whipped around. Two other humans emerged from the jeep, and then they spotted her.

"_Arara, arara!"_ cried one of them. One that had climbed out of the jeep suddenly raised something, and an enormous, spider-web-like thing came flying toward Jewel. It wrapped around her, and Jewel squawked in panic as she crashed to the rainforest floor, entangled in the netting. She writhed and thrashed in the human object, panicking as her wings and talons got twisted in the material. Her cries did her no favour, as Tulio and the two other humans came crashing through the undergrowth toward her, talking quickly to one another. The one that had shot the net at Jewel was first to reach her, and it picked her up. Furious at being touched by a human, Jewel reached through the tangle of netting and began clawing and biting at his face. Yelling in shock, it held her out at arm's length, shouting at Tulio and the other one.

"Is it, is it -" began a female human, but Tulio finished her sentence.

"_Cynopsitta spixii!"_ he cried, eyes enormous. "We've got her!" the human holding Jewel suddenly yelled at Tulio and the female.

"Get the cage!" he cried as Jewel continued thrashing, clawing at his hands and biting at the netting. The female ran to the jeep, getting out a rectangular box, and then opened it. The human holding Jewel threw her into the box, and it slammed shut. Wriggling free of the net, Jewel desperately pried at the wires, to no effect. She was trapped. She spun round to face the three humans, who were now peering closely at her. She shrank back against the wire, knowing that it was no use fighting. She couldn't escape. The humans put the cage in the back of the jeep, and as she began squawking loudly, the one that Jewel had clawed dropped a sheet over the cage, enveloping Jewel in darkness. Tearing a hole in the sheet through the bars, Jewel desperately kept her eyes on the trees as the humans began speaking in excited voices.

"I'm so sorry, dad, mom, Mimi, Beto." She whispered. "I was caught by humans." She had promised her mom that she would never go near a human, and she had broken her vow of never letting a human catch her. "I've broken my promise to you." She choked. "I'm sorry, mom." She whispered. "I'm really sorry."


	19. Just before

_As soon as the cage door opened, Jewel shot out of the cage. When she turned, she saw a human hand shut a metal door. She threw herself at the metal, hitting it with her wings and talons, but to no effect. Full of panic, she spun round, back pressed against the metal. Artificial lights flashed on, revealing a large room. Jewel squawked._

_"Anyone here?" she asked, but she got no reply. Gulping, Jewel opened her wings and flew across the room, but then she crashed into something. Frowning, Jewel hit the wall with her talon. Solid; unnatural. Jewel turned, and hovered, taking in her surroundings. The walls were blue; a sky blue, which tortured her inside – if only it was sky. A tree stood in one place, leafless. A few colourful sticks stuck out of the trunk, leading from the floor to the branches. The ground was a light sandy colour, made of dirt. Plants grew from the floor; a few were real, but most were made of a strange material. Whatever it was, it wasn't real or natural. There was a rock standing, where water trickled down into a crevice in the floor, an artificial waterfall and stream. Her heart ached at the memory of the waterfall in the ravine. _

_Cautious, Jewel landed on the rock standing, and inspected the little waterfall. She dared herself to drink some of the water, and she flinched. It tasted odd; the water back in the rainforest was sweet, but this water was sharp and bitter in comparison. It was still water, though, and she was desperate to get rid of the scent of human. Jewel stood beneath the trickle, allowing it to fall over her head and down her feathers. When she was soaked to the skin, Jewel flew up to the tree, where there was lamp in the higher branches. Red light glowed, and when she stepped beneath it, she discovered that the lamp was warm. Jewel stood in the warm light, feeling calmer. _

_She had been restrained in one room, but they had simply been inspecting her, checking her wings, eyes, beak, talons and feathers. A little cut Jewel had had on her stomach had been gently cleansed by some water and something had been put onto it, and the pain it had been causing had dissolved. The wound looked less angry then before. These humans didn't seem to want to hurt her, but she didn't like it all. It was unnatural. After her feathers had dried under the warmth of the red lamp, Jewel had started looking around for an escape route. She looked all over the walls, trying to find a hole, but hadn't been successful. She had checked the small metal door, but it wouldn't move._

_Jewel then noticed a square on the wall, hidden behind some fake plants on the tree. Metal bars stretched over it, but there were gaps. The gaps were too small for her fit through, but maybe if she chewed at them, they would move apart. Jewel began gnawing at the bars, and after several hours, the bars she was chewing became crooked and the area she had been working on had moved apart a bit. That's a start. It might take a few days for me to fit, but... Jewel pushed the fake plants back in front of the bars, concealing the damage she had done to it. _

_After eating some fruit she had found at the metal door, Jewel found a hollow in the tree, full of dried grass. She wrinkled her beak, but then she shrugged. Dried grass wasn't as good as moss and feathers, but it would be comfortable enough. Besides, the hollow hid her from the eyes of the humans. Tucking herself deep into the dried grass, Jewel eventually managed to drift off into sleep._

_Three days later_

_Jewel hit the stone on the bars. The two bars were getting more crooked and were moving further apart. If she continued working on it for the rest of the night, she could escape by midnight or the early hours of the morning latest. Jewel just hoped that her escape plan was not in vain – what if it didn't lead her out? But Jewel was pretty confident that it would get her out; fresh air blew through the bars and where there was fresh air, there was freedom, right? Jewel suddenly heard the sound of the metal door open, and then close. Putting down the stone, she listened. They hadn't put food through the door; the thing they had put into her enclosure was alive. Jewel heard a voice, and she blinked as she heard the sound of the thing hitting the metal door._

_"Help! Help, let me outta here..." it said. Jewel frowned when she heard it yell 'Linda'; what did that mean? Was it a name? A weird name. Whoever was in the enclosure, however, was male._

_Jewel flew quickly around the enclosure, making sure that she was hidden. Her flight stirred some of the plants, and the figure walking along the floor jumped. Jewel managed to get a decent look at the stranger; he had dark blue plumage, not unlike Roberto's had been. He had three short feathers sticking up on the back of his head, and he had hazel-brown eyes. Jewel had not seen one of her own kind in so long, she couldn't tell by sight that he was a Spix's macaw. He looked like one, though. She couldn't sure, though – unless she looked closer. He looked harmless enough. Jewel then decided to reveal herself. She began flying toward him, and he stared at her. He looked surprised, and then he was gazing at her, unable to tear away his gaze._

_Jewel wouldn't have been able to guess in a million years as to what would happen in the next few days, let alone the next year or two. She had no idea that this macaw would be unable to fly, that they would be chained together, her wing would break but he would save her. She also had no idea that she would fall in love with him – a love stronger than anything she had ever felt for Roberto – or anyone. Within two to three years she would have three beautiful chicks, Bia, Carla and Tiago. She would be reunited with those she had lost in the Amazon, with the exception of her mother and Adelaide. She and Blu would have their differences several times, but all the way, they would never let each other go._

**_And that's that, folks - I hope you enjoyed it! I'm rather pleased with my first Rio fanfiction. Do review your opinion, but please do not put any suggestions for future chapters. It is incredibly annoying (hint hint to one person in particular, you know who you are), and this fanfiction is finished. It is done and dusted._**

**_Stay tuned for more fanfictions on Rio! Also, this entire chapter being in italic isn't my intention - for some reason it just comes out as italic every time even if the font is normal in the word document I type it in._**

**_Please note: All made-up characters here, i.e. Adelaide, Rojo, Sol, Tia, Sophia and several others - they all belong to me, and you cannot use them in your fanfictions. _**

**_Thank you! Xxx_**


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